A New Start
by The three quarter demon
Summary: after being caged like a beast, Naruto's finally given the opportunity to start over. NarXTem possible NarXTemXHin
1. Chapter 1

The sun shined brightly on Konoha, the wind blew gently through the streets and everything finally looked to be back in shape from Orochimaru's attack with the help of Suna. The last of the repairs were underway and very one was happy. Almost everyone.

"Suna still can't be trusted" Danzo said as he looked at Tsunade "we need to send someone there to spy on them."

Tsunade nodded; she didn't like the idea, but she agreed that it was the only way to know for sure if Suna was done with Orochimaru. They say that they were deceived by Orochimaru because he was posing as the Yondaime Kazekage. It was hard to say if she believed them or not; Orochimaru is capable of doing that, but did he actually deceive them.

"Who do you have in mind?" she asked him.

"I've been personally training someone in my program for this type of mission" as the door to Tsunade's office opened and a pale boy walked in "this is Sai…"

"No" Tsunade said cutting him off "he'll stick out like a sore thumb. If we're going to send someone in, it needs to be someone that can blend in almost perfectly."

Tsunade thought for a minute; only one person came to her mind. If she were to suggest him though, the council would have to approve; especially with what he did. Even with the council's approval, many would question if he would actually do as they say.

"Are you still holding HIM?" with a sad tone.

"I BEG YOUR PARDON, LADY HOKAGE" Danzo said in fear "you can't seriously be thinking about letting HIM roam free after what he did. It was treason!"

"I'm well aware of what he did" looking at her desk "but right now, he's the only one with nothing to lose if the mission goes sour, and everything to gain if it's a success."

"Godaime Hokage" one council member said "are you drunk again?"

The council member was making reference to when the one she had requested be sent on the mission was first put in ANBU headquarters' solitary confinement. She showed up drunk to four meetings, almost in a row; those days the council saw firsthand how dangerous _her _Taijutsu and alcohol was when mixed.

"I'm perfectly sober" Tsunade said in response "I think he'd take the chance to start a new life where no one knows him and he could be treated fairly."

"He killed the only person that could bring back the Sharingan to our village" another council member said "and in cold blood!"

"He's lucky we haven't decided to have him executed" the first member added.

"I agree with Lady Tsunade" a third member spoke up "while he might not report any useful information to us; at least he can live a normal life."

"Lord Hyuga" the second member said "I still don't understand why you bother supporting that boy. Even when he nearly killed someone in your clan."

"The Yondaime would've wanted HIM to have a normal life" Hiashi said looking at a picture on the wall "he cannot achieve that here. Not with how many remember the attack. I agree with Lady Tsunade, HE should be the one to go to Suna and act as our spy."

Danzo escorted Tsunade through ANBU headquarters towards a solitary confinement cell. Many seals had been placed on the door to keep the one inside from being able to escape and start 'killing in cold blood'. He still didn't agree with the council's or Tsunade's decision to let the prisoner walk out of the village without anyone escorting him; or even letting HIM be conscious while they did. But he had been showed the paperwork with every council member's seal on it and had no farther say in the matter.

"I'll talk with HIM first" Danzo said "I don't want HIM trying to kill the Hokage the first chance he gets."

"Just don't lash out at HIM" Tsunade said sadly "HE's had enough of that over the past month."

Danzo removed the seals and opened the door; the one held in the cell was chained to the wall and had many chakra suppressor seals on him. When he stepped in the door slammed closed and the room went dark; a few seconds passed and lights flicked on and the prisoner covered his eyes from the pain of the blinding light. Danzo showed no fear when the captive gave him an evil look and tried to attack him.

"You know that's pointless" he said as the boy reached the end of the chains and nearly ripped his arms out of their sockets "now sit down so we can talk."

"FUCK YOU" he shouted "WHY WOULD I TALK WITH ANYONE OF YOU JACKASSES? NONE OF YOU BELIEVED ME WHEN I TOLD YOU WHY I _HAD_ TO KILL SASUKE."

"Watch your anger" trying to remain calm "I don't want to have to get more seals to put on you on top of the ones you already have _and_ the Gogyou Fuuin; Naruto Uzumaki."

"PISS OFF" Naruto shouted at Danzo.

"I come in here to speak with you as an equal" as he opened the door "and you practically spit in my face" he heard Naruto spit in his direction "and now just about literally."

"Get back here and we can make it literally" Naruto snapped as he stood at the end of the chains.

Danzo closed the door and Naruto was left alone, again. He sat down and got back into a ball against the wall. This wasn't much different from what he was used to on the outside of the walls that held him here. Only the chains, and darkness was newer to him.

'_**There, there my Kit'**_ he heard in his head _**'I'm still here for you.'**_

Those words made him smile; he wasn't completely alone. While he hated the Kyuubi that was sealed inside him, he didn't mind her company over the past month. Her voice lulled him to sleep on some nights, and kept him thinking positive when he wanted to just end the suffering.

When he found out the Kyuubi was a female, he nearly died laughing. The King of Demons was actually a Queen; the irony wouldn't let him stop laughing when he thought about it. Sure the Kyuubi couldn't keep him physical company, but she was still there with him; bound in a cage with chains just as he was.

Although they couldn't meet in the chamber where they had first met, because of the Gogyou Fuuin, they could still have conversations. Their conversations would last for hours, and once they had one that lasted for three days. The past month might've been hell for him, but it was also the most enlightening to him. He had found out that he was the third Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, his mother being the second, and Mito Uzumaki, relative to his mother in a way Kyuubi wasn't sure of, was the first.

'_Could you tell me about my mother again?'_ he asked her.

'_**Of course my Kit'**_ Kyuubi said as she began the story.

"He doesn't seem to want to talk" Danzo said.

"You're just not using the right words" Tsunade said as she reached for the door.

"I can't let you enter Lady Hokage" as he grabbed her hand "he'll try to kill you."

"Stop assuming those kinds of things about him" as she forced Danzo to release his grip "that's why he hates just about everyone in the village right now" as she opened the door and walked in.

Before Danzo could follow her, she slammed the door shut; she clearly wanted to speak with Naruto alone. He knew that she could handle herself if Naruto tried to kill her; but she'd only kill him if there were no other alternatives. That was something that any ANBU would love to watch; the Hokage kill the Demon-Brat.

Tsunade looked at the pale Naruto that was in a ball against the wall. The lack of sun light had taken its toll on the boy; the pigment in his skin was beginning to fade. Even though this kind of confinement could break some of the most powerful shinobi, the blonde in front of her looked like he was still holding on to his sanity.

"Oba-chan" Naruto asked without looking up "why won't anyone believe me when I told them Sasuke wouldn't stay in the village? That he was bent on going to that Snake-teme on a blind quest of revenge. He was like a brother to me, I didn't want to do it; I had no other choice."

"I know Naruto" as she walked over and kneeled next to him "I'm sorry I didn't bring any ramen for you this time but I can offer you something better. It will get you out of here and give you a chance at living a normal life in another village where no one knows about the Kyuubi."

Naruto listened; the offer to go somewhere and be treated as an equal was what caught his attention. Not many in Konoha ever treated him as if he was a human, let alone an equal. Sasuke, his closest friend, was one of the ones that looked at him as at least a human and someone to stay one step ahead of. But now, he was gone; there was no one else in the village that was his age that looked at him as a human being, almost no one.

He heard Hinata's voice several times over the past month; she wanted to see him, but the guards refused. Always telling her to 'let the Demon rot in its cage'. He'd give anything to see her, to be treated as a human by someone; to be loved again. More than that though, he wanted to tell her how thankful he was that _someone_ remembered he was human.

Iruka-sensei had stopped by once or twice with some ramen for him. He'd tell Naruto about how hard Tsunade, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and him were fighting to get him out of the hell hole he was in. To his surprise, Iruka had even said that Hiashi Hyuga was trying to get him out of there. That made him think of Hinata and often caused him to smile.

"What do I have to do?" he asked.

"Go to Suna" Tsunade explained "we need to know if they willingly helped Orochimaru or if what they claim is true. You'd have to go alone, but no bounty will be put on you for leaving the village; no one will chase after you or try to kill you. Then, once the mission is done, you can go to any village you wish and start a new life. It's a chance for you to be happy."

"Will I be able to see Hinata before I go?" as he looked at Tsunade with a sad look.

"I'll see if she would want to" with a soft motherly smile "if she does, I will personally escort you to her so you can say good-bye."

"Thanks" as tears began to flow from his eyes.

Tsunade wrapped her arm around the crying boy; she had never seen Naruto shed tears before. He always seemed to be the type that would find another way to feel better. It was a wonder though, how a twelve year old boy managed to keep his sanity while locked up in an ANBU solitary confinement cell.

Naruto couldn't stop crying; he had just been told he could get out of the hell hole he had been locked in for the past month with only one person having the authority to let someone see him. What made the news even better though, was the fact that he'd be able to see the only one his age that looked at him as a human before he goes on his last mission for the Hidden Leaf Village.

Even Kyuubi was happy that her Kit could finally go somewhere and be treated fairly. Not like he was a Demon to be feared and hated. Her Kit would be able to find happiness in his life; if she were physically next to Naruto, she'd be crying just as much as him.

"I'll go get all the paperwork done" as Naruto managed to stop crying "I'll have Kakashi come and escort you to Hokage Tower. I'll make sure to have plenty of ramen for you."

When Tsunade mentioned doing paperwork, PAPERWORK, he knew she was telling the truth about letting him out. If there was one thing she hated more than Orochimaru, or even Jiraiya's peeping, it was paperwork.

"Thanks Oba-chan" Naruto said with a smile "for everything."


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto took one last look at the ones that knew he was human; Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Iruka, Hiashi, and Hinata. His heart became heavy when he took one more look into Hinata's large white eyes; he could never return to the village he only wanted to protect. Not for anything, or anyone; otherwise he'd be killed on sight.

One thing was harder than all of that though; he had to give up his dream. The thing he had been fighting for his entire life had been completely taken out of his sights forever. Nothing could or would change that fact; his dream was officially dead.

"Take care of yourself; Naruto" Iruka said.

Naruto nodded as he remembered everything Iruka had done for him; despite the fact that the Kyuubi killed his parents. He knew it was the Kyuubi, not Naruto, that was responsible for his parents' death. He never stopped doubting Naruto's abilities or potential.

"I… I'll see you a…at the Chunin exams in four months" Hinata said quietly as Naruto kissed her hand.

His good-bye to Hinata was anything but easy. Not only did she want to go with him, but she wouldn't stop crying; neither could he for that fact. The only one his age that still looked at him as a human couldn't go with him, and he couldn't stay with.

Hinata made him a promise though, a promise that would be harder for her to keep than any promises Naruto had ever made; she promised him she'd become Hokage for him. When she said that to him, all he could do was hug her; the shy Hyuga did something unexpected in response, she kissed him and didn't pass out.

"Remember Naruto" Kakashi said "good memories can save your life."

The legendary Copy-Cat Ninja knew what he was talking about. After his two teammates died in front of him, he felt how Naruto looked. All he could do was remember the good times they had together and move on.

"I'll be by every now and then to see ya kid" Jiraiya said "I have informants in Suna that I rely on. I'll be there in two months or so; then I'll continue your training."

Naruto nodded to both of his perverted sensei.

"Don't do anything to get yourself killed" Tsunade said in a joking tone "you're like a grandson to me. And I'd hate to kill someone in Suna and start a war."

Naruto smiled in response to that; he knew she would too. Even despite the already tense relationship with Suna, Tsunade would even kill the Kazekage if he was responsible for Naruto's death.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way" Hiashi said "and for how I looked at you in the past. Please find a way to forgive me" as he bowed.

"You never did anything to harm me" Naruto said to him "just make sure Hinata stays safe."

Naruto didn't want to spend any more time thinking about the few people he was leaving. He was still hurting from having to kill Sasuke. In truth though; he didn't know which was worse. The only way to clear his head was to get going; however painful it might be for him.

The gates closed behind him as he walked through them; the sound of the two doors meeting sounded like it was saying 'good-bye and good-reddens demon'. Now he could never see any of his former friends, or the ones that still were. Each step he took away from the gates made him feel like he was no better than Sasuke when he was trying to leave to go to Orochimaru.

'_Maybe this is all I need'_ he thought to himself _'a few days to think. I just hope I can find the village; after all it is hidden in the sand. I'm gonna hate this trip.'_

'_**Don't worry Kit'**_ Kyuubi said to him _**'I'm here for you.'**_

He rubbed his forehead and felt his old goggles; ANBU had confiscated almost all his personal affects when they arrested him for killing his friend. While he admired his goggles, he quickly missed the headband he had replaced them with not even a year ago. All his hard work, the time he had spent trying to improve, at least, his Henge no Jutsu, and every moment of meditation was all for nothing now.

Tsunade managed to convince ANBU to return some of his affects so he wouldn't be starting from absolutely nothing when got to Suna. He had his clothes, goggles, backpack, some money and water for the trip; ANBU refused to allow him to have weapons anywhere near the village. It didn't matter to him though, there were plenty of places he could stop at along the way to Suna for kunai and shuriken so he could do some hunting for food.

"I just hope Gaara isn't pissed about me beating him during the Chunin Exams" he said with a sigh.

Naruto had spent five days walking to the Village Hidden in the Sand; he didn't think it was as hidden as well as it actually was. Not wanting to risk being ambushed at night, he walked through the night so he could also cut the time it would take him to reach Suna. The sand storm that came from nowhere slowed him down by at least half a day; he was very thankful that he had his goggles to keep the sand out of his eyes. He added an extra day or so just looking for the land marks to get to Suna.

Once he got there though, he was feeling better; he could finally start a normal life, so he thought. The front gate was all but friendly; he was greeted with several kunai pointed at him by shinobi that appeared out of nowhere. Apparently the shinobi of Suna were still on edge from the assassination of their last Kazekage.

"State your name and business" one ordered him.

"My name is none of your concern" Naruto said sadly "but I wish to speak with Gaara of the Desert."

"So you can try to assassinate our new Kazekage just as Orochimaru-teme did?" the second said.

"Please" as a tear ran down Naruto's face "I have nowhere else to go anymore. I just want to speak to a friend, one of the only friends I have left."

A new, familiar face joined the conversation; one that brought mixed feelings to him. Kankuro put his hand on the two shinobi's shoulders and told them to lower their weapons. The shinobi did as they were ordered and backed off.

"He's no threat to Lord Kazekage" he said "I'll escort him to Gaara."

"Thanks" Naruto said as he walked up to Kankuro "I need to talk with Gaara. He's probably the only one that understands what has happened to me."

Kankuro could see the sadness on Naruto's face; something he thought only his little brother had. Naruto's look was worse than Gaara's once was; he looked like someone that had lost everything. The only real way to describe how Naruto truly looked was: he looked like he had just been to hell. As he led Naruto through the streets he could only wonder why a Konoha shinobi, a Genin, would show up in Suna without a headband on.

"Where's your headband" Kankuro finally asked when he couldn't think of an answer to the riddle.

"I don't want to talk about it" Naruto said back not looking up from the ground.

"Alright;" as he dropped the matter "but I'm just going to let you know, some people heard stories about the one that defeated Gaara. They don't have any descriptions about him" keeping a low profile "but they're bound to figure it out."

"I understand" as he looked at all the shops that lined the street.

Many reminded him of Konoha; weapon shops, a few flora shops, jewelry stores, and restaurants. He could put a 'friends'' face at each of the shops. Tenten at the weapon shops, Ino's family flora shop, Sakura in jewelry stores, and Choji in at least two restaurants every day. Neji was always training, Kiba was chasing tail, Shino was Shino, Shikamaru was always staring at clouds, and Lee was always training with Gai.

Lee, unlike the rest, didn't care that Naruto had killed Sasuke or that he was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi; Naruto was Naruto to him. He's a good friend and better rival; Lee's exact words. Given Lee couldn't try to visit him while he was in solitary confinement, but Naruto always remembered what Lee said to him before ANBU took him to that shit hole of a cell.

'_Your flames of youth are strong; I'll help Lady Tsunade find a way to get you out. I will do a thousand pushups every day until I find a way to help you.'_

The thought made him smile as he remembered his first fight against Lee, if you could call it a fight. Naruto was put on the ground and unconscious in less than five seconds and one attack. What made him regret attacking Lee in the first place was the fact that he had put Sasuke on the ground while he was unconscious.

Lady Tsunade had told Naruto about how Lee was just as bad as Hinata in trying to find a way to get him out. Always wanting to find a mission 'only someone of Naruto's skill can complete without failure', as Lee said it. But to his dismay, no such missions arrived; until this one. The second Lee heard even a rumor of needing to send someone to spy on Suna; he literally dropped what he was doing and went straight to Hokage Tower to suggest Naruto.

Hinata was always close by when Naruto was doing anything; even when he didn't know it. There were times when he'd wake up in the hospital despite the fact that he had passed out while training on training ground seven. She was his guardian angel.

When he looked around at the people in the streets, he could see that they were whispering amongst themselves. But it wasn't about the fact that he's 'The Demon of Konoha', as he heard many made reference to him as when he passed through small villages in the fire country; it was the fact that he was a new face. The change of titles made him feel better.

"So what brings you here?" Kankuro asked as the silence began to creep him out.

"If I tell you that I might as well tell you why I don't have my headband" Naruto said as he saw a huge tower come into view "is that Kazekage Tower?"

"Yup" with a smile "this is where Gaara works. Come on I have training in twenty minutes with my sensei and I'd really prefer not to be late again" a shiver went down his spine as he thought about the consequences of his tardiness.

"Your sensei that much of a hard ass?" looking at Kankuro.

"No" with fear in his eyes "Temari-chan hates when people are late."

Naruto didn't say anything else; he was just focused on being able to finally get some sleep. Being up for the past five days was taking its toll on him; he could barely keep his feet moving. The doors opened for them as they drew close to the Tower. Naruto didn't pay much attention to where he was going; he just knew he was following Kankuro.

"Here you go" he said "now I gotta get going. See ya" as he ran back from the direction he came.

"Come in" Naruto heard Gaara say from the other side of the doors.

Naruto pushed the doors open and saw Gaara sitting behind a desk with a blue robe on with a cover on the desk; normally the usual apparel of the Kazekage.

"What happened to you?" Gaara asked with concern as he saw Naruto's sleep deprived face.

"I was…" Naruto started but stopped. He couldn't let Gaara know the details of what happened. "It was a long trip."

"You look like hell" as he stood up and walked over to his friend "did you even stop to rest on your way here?"

"You knew I was coming?" Naruto asked with confusion.

"Lady Hokage contacted me and told me about your situation" as he closed the door behind Naruto "judging by the way you look you haven't slept in several days."

"This coming from someone that doesn't sleep at all means so much" Naruto said sarcastically.

Gaara wrote off the comment as being testy from the lack of sleep. He offered Naruto a chair; who declined the offer saying that if he sat down he'd pass out. Gaara sat back at his desk and continued to do some paperwork, which apparently annoyed him; must be a common trait amongst the Kages.

"I'm sorry to say that we don't have any apartments ready for someone to move into yet" Gaara said as he looked up from his annoyance "many are still coping with the loss of my father and aren't keeping pace with their usual efficiency."

"The Yondaime Kazekage was your father?" Naruto asked in shock.

"Yes" as he set his pen down on his desk "that is why I can assure anyone at your village that our involvement with Orochimaru was because he was deceiving us. I wish you could take the message back to your village, but seeing as you've been banished" Naruto's face filled with sadness again "I will make sure to deliver it personally, as the Godaime Kazekage, when I go to see Lady Tsunade on a political visit in the next month."

"Kazekage" Naruto repeated "looks like you achieved what my dream was."

Gaara quickly saw that the banishment not only put Naruto without a home, but without a dream or many reasons to fight. He knew that pain too well; it nearly destroyed him, but Naruto saved him from himself. He felt he had a debt to Naruto that had to be repaid.

"Naruto" as he stood up "I was only appointed Kazekage because of the Shukaku being sealed within me."

Naruto didn't say anything back, but he wanted to say many angry words; he just lacked the will to. It was either that he was done caring about being a Jinchuuriki or he just didn't care that others looked at them as 'weapons of war' anymore.

"Is there a safe place for me to stay; or will I get attacked for even asking about renting a room?" Naruto finally asked.

The pain of barely being able to rent a room in Konoha was still in him. He was often over charged for many things because he was the Kyuubi's container. This led him to spend as little money as possible on luxury items and only what he needed to on food, equipment and rent.

"No one here knows that you are a Jinchuuriki" assured him "so no one has any reason to attack or even hate you. Many may know the story of the Kyuubi attack, but very few know that it was sealed away at all."

Naruto showed a weak smile; he was finally going to be treated as an equal. No more over paying for anything because he was 'The Demon That Slaughtered Families'. A good start for his long travel and expected to be even longer mission.

"But as I said before" he continued "many are still trying to cope with losing the Yondaime Kazekage" Naruto's eyes went sad again "but I'll see if I can find you anything decent. I'll have someone escort you to Baki-sensei's training ground."

Naruto only nodded. The thought of another team made memories of training to be stronger than Sasuke surface. The last thing he wanted to do was to get attached to someone right now. Not with what happened to his first rival, and friend; his brother in bond.

"You can leave your stuff here for now" as he used sand to take off Naruto's heavy pack and placed it in a corner.

Naruto only said one word; thanks. Before he could walk out, his stomach growled; he hadn't eaten since he entered the desert two days ago. He only hoped Gaara didn't hear his stomach, but it soon became apparent that he did.

"Let me treat you to some lunch before you go" the kage said as he opened a fridge and pulled out two trays "I know it's not what you're used to, but it's better than nothing. Sit; eat" as he set the two trays down on the desk.

"Ok" as he walked back to the desk and sat down.

"I know you might not want to talk about it" as he broke apart his chopsticks "but exactly what happened for you to get banished?"

Naruto's mind was flooded with the exact memory from his final fight with Sasuke. Each powerful hit they landed on each other, the blood curling screams of pain that both let out, each tear he shed after he killed his friend. Tears began to flow from Naruto's eyes into the tray that was in front of him.

"I…" Naruto fought to say "I… I killed… the only one that ever underst… understood my pain."

Gaara was at a loss for words; Naruto never seemed like the kind of person that would kill an enemy, let alone a friend. It must have been a tragic event for him; and an extremely difficult fight. The boy that he had lost to, who understood his pain, and saved him from the darkness of the Shukaku had lost the only one in his village that knew his pain.

Naruto closed his eyes and passed out with tears still running down his face. The once 'always smiling boy' wasn't smiling, not even in his sleep. Little did Gaara realize that what Naruto had just been through made his childhood look like a warm up.

Gaara looked at the sleeping boy and could see he had not just emotional pain, but some sort of hatred towards the ones he once called 'friends'. He could only fear for when Naruto let his new hatred lash out at those that caused it. Unknowing that Orochimaru was also on that list. He called one of his secretaries and asked them to bring a sleeping mat into his office for Naruto.

"No" Naruto said in his sleep "no… no… SASUKE" as he shot straight up and was now wide awake.

His breathing began to slow back to its normal rate as he looked at his surroundings. Tears rolled down his face as he couldn't get the last images of their fight out of his head.

Naruto stood over Sasuke, who was still trying to get up and leave. The hatred in Sasuke's Sharingan eyes that was directed not at Naruto, but his older brother; Naruto just got the look because he was trying to stop him. The Ten no Juin still reaching across his face and feeding Sasuke more hatred and power, he couldn't let his friend sink to someone like Orochimaru's level. He had to put his Rasengan on the back of Sasuke's neck; at least that way it was quick and painless.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke" Naruto cried to himself "you gave me no other choice. I didn't want you to become like your brother."

He heard someone step towards him; it was too dark for him to tell who it was. All he could see was that it was a woman with decent sized breasts dressed in a nightgown. Her hair was down and she was rubbing her eyes like she had just been woken up. _'Great I'm turning into Ero-sannin'_ he thought as he starred at the woman's breasts.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" her familiar voice snapped at him.

Naruto immediately recognized the voice as Temari of the Sand Siblings and stop staring at her breasts.

"Sorry" he said as he looked out the window at the moon; it seemed much larger here; at least twice as big as when he looked at it in Konoha. "How long was I asleep?"

"Two days" Temari said to him "Gaara-kun filled me in on what happened. I'm sorry it came to that."

"Where am I?" wanting to get his mind off the subject.

"My apartment" as she leaned against the door frame "Gaara-kun's is in a classified location and mine is bigger than Kankuro's and most of his space is taken up by those damn puppets of his."

"Are you sure you're ok with sharing your apartment with 'The Demon of Konoha'?"

He was answered with a powerful smack across the face; he didn't even hear Temari step towards him. When he looked back at her, she was steaming with anger. It soon became apparent to him that what he said made her snap.

"DON'T YOU EVER CALL YOURSELF THAT!" she shouted at him "TO SAY THAT ABOUT YOURSELF IS TO CALL GAARA, MY BROTHER _AND _THE KAZEKAGE, THE SHUKAKU!"

Naruto remained quiet as he looked at the furious Temari; the anger in her eyes wasn't the same as when he was in Konoha. It looked more like it was meant for him, not the Kyuubi; for once, seeing someone that mad at _him_ made him smile a little.

Temari could see that even though her guest wasn't taken back by the slap she had landed, he wasn't angry about it either. It almost bothered her that Naruto had smiled as a result of the hit; it was like he liked getting hit. _'He is kind of cute'_ she thought as she sat next to him _'I just don't get the whiskers.'_

"It's nice to see someone's angry at me for something I did" Naruto said quietly "rather than what the Kyuubi did."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm like your brother;" not looking at her "I have a Bijuu inside me. Marked with a curse, not much different than the branch family of the Hyuga clan, that makes others look at me like I'm a demon;" tears ran down his face "like I'm the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Temari didn't know what to say; she knew that he wasn't liked by many in his birth village, but she never knew why. She had heard the story of the Kyuubi Attack that happened twelve years ago, but the story ended with the slaying of the demon. That was apparently a lie to protect Naruto from the other children as he grew up; which seemed to have failed.

"Aren't you going to throw me out of your apartment?" Naruto asked breaking the silence.

"Why would I do that?"

"I just told you that I hold the Kyuubi within me," with an angry voice "that I am the one that slaughtered dozens of families and am the Demon of Konoha;" he balled his fists up but not to strike Temari "aren't you going to try to kill me?"

He was answered with another smack across the face, only this time much harder. Her breathing was heavy; she was angrier than Sakura could ever get at him, he didn't think that was possible.

"YOU KNOW THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A…" she started to shout but stopped realizing she'd probably be heard. She took a deep breath and calmed down before she continued "just because you have a Bijuu in you doesn't make you, a human, responsible for what it did."

Tears began to flow from Naruto's eyes again. Someone that had just found out he was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi had just referred to him as human. It made him feel good; he could only think of one other time that made him feel so good, when Hinata kissed him.

"Thank you" he said "for reminding me of that."

"No problem" as she hugged him "but if you ever refer to yourself with any of those false titles; I _will_ bitch slap you so hard your unborn children will come out well behaved."

Naruto nodded into her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. His tears slowly came to a stop as he thought of how good he was being treated.

'_That explains the whiskers'_ she laughed to herself.

Naruto soon fell asleep in Temari's arms; an extremely small smile was on his face again. That made Temari happy; the blonde could finally start a normal life. However 'normal' the life of a shinobi could be.

Naruto woke to the smell of ramen; something he hadn't had in two and a half weeks. He quickly got out of the bed he was in and followed the scent. To his surprise, and dismay, Temari was eating it for breakfast.

"It's about time you're up" Temari joked as she took another bite "I was about to go get some cold water then thought this would get you to wake up" as she pointed to the stove; which had another cup of ramen sitting on it "there's yours."

"THANK YOU" he shouted with joy as he quickly got the cup of ramen and started to eat it.

"You're really something else" with a soft smile.

"So" as he took a bite of ramen "what's the plan for the day?"

Temari couldn't help but to smile, Naruto was acting like the knuckle head she had first met in Konoha again. _'He must've slept better after we talked last night'_ she thought.

"Gaara-kun asked me to show you around, Suna" as she put her cup down "then we have training with Baki-sensei."

"I don't want to get put on a team right now" Naruto said sadly "I need to think about what I'm going to do now that I have nothing to fight for; no dream."

Temari remembered a poem she had read and recited it;

*"What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up  
like a raisin in the sun?  
Or fester like a sore-  
and then run?  
Does it stink like rotten meat?  
Or crust over-  
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags  
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?"

Naruto listened to her recite the poem, it definitely suited his situation. He had been forced to give up his dream, but what would he do now? He didn't know what to have as a dream; he couldn't even go near Konoha without being killed on sight.

"When your dream is killed" Naruto said sadly "it's hard to let go. I guess I'm still trying to hold on to it; even though it's now dust blowing in the wind."

Naruto got up and walked out of the apartment; he needed to think. Too much had happened too fast for him to be able to make sense of any of it. However, he still had a mission to do; one that was, as Tsunade described it, just like a black-op assignment.

Temari just looked at the door with a concerned look. She had seen how much pain Naruto was in and then reminded him that he was forced to give up his dream. _'I'm so stupid'_ she said to herself.

Naruto found a place to sit high above Suna and just look at the people in the streets. While sitting on the edge of a cliff wasn't exactly the best idea ever, especially when the winds from the area were blowing strongest at the cliffs, he didn't care. A part of him wanted to wind to push him off the edge; the other wanted to get the mission over with so he could try to move on.

"Hinata-hime, Bushy-brow" he said "those two were the only ones that looked at me as if I was a human being; even after they knew. Can you give me any advice?"

"How'd you know I was here?" he heard Temari ask him.

"I didn't" without looking back "I was thinking out loud."

Temari walked over to Naruto, put her fan on the ground, and sat down next to him. The view of the village was very good from where they were. If your eyes were good enough, you'd be able to see all the way to the main gate.

"Gaara-kun wants to speak with you" she finally said "I'm sure the news he has for you will make you feel better."

Naruto highly doubted that; right now there was very little that could make him feel better. Given he had a new life, a fresh start where no one knew about the curse he had from birth, but he still felt empty. Like something wasn't just missing, but rather that it had been ripped out of him. Naruto stood up and walked back towards the path that led up to where he was.

"Where are you going?" Temari asked as she grabbed her fan.

"To Gaara's office" without stopping.

"Why walk when you can fly" as she opened her fan.

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks; he had heard of a few jutsu that allowed someone to fly, but they were extremely difficult to master. But to be offered the chance to fly was a completely rare opportunity.

"How?" looking back at her.

He realized that she was dressed in her normal clothes with her hair back in the fashion she normally has it. _'Looks better down'_ he said to himself.

"On my fan" as she offered Naruto her hand.

'_I guess it couldn't hurt; plus she's beautiful, how can I say no?'_ he thought before he took her hand.

Temari pulled him next to her and jumped off the cliff. Two seconds after jumping she put her fan underneath them and they were flying through the air over Suna. She could feel Naruto clinging to her, not wanting to fall off the, smaller than it looks, fan. However, she could tell he was enjoying the flight as she pointed out several land marks of the village. One in particular caught Naruto's attention; a small family owned ramen shop, he was sure to make note of where it was so he could go eat there.

When the ride was over, Temari folded up her fan and placed it across her back. Naruto couldn't get over how she managed to manipulate the wind the way she did. His praises caused her to begin to blush as they walked through the halls to Gaara's office.

As they walked through the halls Naruto couldn't help but to notice everyone starring at him. It was a little different than when he showed up a few days ago. This time is seemed like they were trying to see if he was up to par for something.

Temari knocked on the door to Gaara's office. She was still blushed from Naruto's comments about the jutsu that allowed her to fly. She didn't get many comments about it from those in the village; then again, she normally walked around the village.

"Come in" Gaara said.

Temari pushed the door open and led Naruto into the office. Gaara wasn't wearing the Kazekage outfit like he was when Naruto first showed up; he was wearing his normal civilian attire. His gourd was within arm's reach, not that it needed to be that close for him to use it.

"You requested to see me" Naruto said politely as he felt he was being watched by people just outside the office.

The last thing he needed to do was piss off people in a village he was going to live in for a while. Given he wasn't planning on staying forever, but he still needed to get information so he could complete his mission. Pissing off the locals would only cause them to not talk to him; that would make getting information difficult.

"Yes" as he set a folder in his drawer "I have a favor I wish to ask of you."

Gaara was clearly enjoying having Naruto be a polite figure to him; it was almost hysterical to him. If someone were to compare how Naruto was talking now to how he was talking two days ago; they'd ask, what'd you do with the real Naruto.

"Of course Lord Kazekage" still feeling that people were watching "may I ask what it is?"

"When I'm gone on my political trip to Konoha" he started and intentionally went slowly "I would like you to" seeing the suspense was killing Naruto "act as Kazekage in my absence."

Naruto fell backwards as he passed out from disbelief. He was being asked to act as Kazekage, of a village he just arrived in; _'no wonder everyone was staring at me on the way in'_ he thought before he hit the floor.

Gaara then did something he rarely ever does, even when he has a good reason to; he smiled!

"I enjoyed that" as he leaned back in his chair.

  
* A Dream Deferred, by Langston Hughes.


	3. Chapter 3

"When I'm gone on my political trip to Konoha" he started and intentionally went slowly "I would like you to" seeing the suspense was killing Naruto "act as Kazekage in my absence."

Naruto fell backwards as he passed out from disbelief. He was being asked to act as Kazekage, of a village he just arrived in; _'no wonder everyone was staring at me on the way in'_ he thought before he hit the floor.

Gaara then did something he rarely ever does, even when he has a good reason to; he smiled!

"I enjoyed that" as he leaned back in his chair.

Naruto lay passed out on the floor of the Kazekage office. Many of the spectators were questioning if someone that passed out when asked to act as a stand in would be able to handle the real pressure of the Kazekage's duties. If he passed out with just a simple request, how could they expect him to handle everything else?

Temari couldn't help but to let out a sigh of disbelief along with a small giggle. One thing she couldn't believe though, was the fact that Gaara not only said he enjoyed something; but the fact that he SMILED. He hardly ever smiles. She kneeled down and tried to wake Naruto back up.

"Naruto" as she patted his face "wake up Naruto."

Naruto moaned like he was a child being woken up by their parent and didn't want to get up. This annoyed Temari a lot.

"Do you have a bucket?" looking at Gaara.

"Using water like how you're thinking is a waste" as he continued to do paperwork "especially here in the desert. But I do have ramen."

Those seemed to be the magic words to get Naruto up. The word 'Ramen' no more left Gaara's mouth and Naruto was awake again. Every one of the spectators had a sweat drop on their head.

"Temari" Gaara said "please close the door."

Temari did, but not before playfully smacking Naruto on the back of the head. She found it hard to believe that Gaara wanted Naruto to stand in for him, but understood his reason.

"Why do you want me to stand in as Kazekage for you?" Naruto asked remembering what Gaara requested of him.

Gaara looked out the window at his village, his sleepless mind reflected on his fight with Naruto. He remembered how he thought he was going to kill Naruto without any trouble, but because he had never fought for anyone but himself he didn't understand what made a true shinobi; what made him, a Jinchuuriki, human. The willingness to give his life to protect someone out of love; something Gaara had never known and Naruto had lost.

"Because" still looking out the window "when we fought, you refused to run away and save yourself. I thought you were a fool for not running from a demon…"

"Lord Kazekage" Temari said "please forgive me for my next action…" right before she went to smack him, but the sand in his gourd stopped her hand.

The sand swirled in place, just inches from Gaara's face, holding Temari's hand at a safe distance from Gaara. The best way Naruto could bring himself to describe it was a flattened tornado. It looked really cool though.

"Please allow me to speak freely, Onee-san" Gaara said as he looked back at her "and I would've taken that hit if I had better control of the sand; but the Shukaku still protects me with it against my will." The sand went back to its gourd, carrying the cork with it.

"Hai, Lord Kazekage" as she went back to stand next to Naruto.

"I looked at you as a fool for not running" Gaara continued "but after our fight you told me that you knew my pain. The pain of being alone, hated by everyone in your village, but you still managed to stay out of the darkness that consumed me. I wish to save you before you get into that darkness" with a sad look on his face "I know this isn't the Hokage title like you wanted when you were in Konoha, but at least I can possibly give you a new reason to continue fighting. It can give you a new dream."

Naruto was at a loss for words; he was being given the opportunity to be a kage. Even though it wasn't a permanent deal, it was something that he had trained for years to be. He still had one question though;

"Why me? I'm sure there are people that can be a better stand in than me."

"Because you have always fought to accomplish and stand for something" Gaara replied "when that dog guy insulted you and said he'd become Hokage before you; you stood up and continued to fight to prove him wrong, even though you were badly injured. I wish to give you a reason to fight like that again. Please think about my offer;" as he used his sand to open the doors to his office "I know some part of you still wishes to be a Kage."

Naruto and Temari walked out of Gaara's office and through the hoard of spectators that were trying to figure out why the Kazekage would ask someone new to the village to act as a stand in for him. He didn't even look like a shinobi; at least not with that 'neon orange track suit' as some called it.

"Looks like you have to start training" Temari said when they got out of Kazekage Tower.

"I can't do it" Naruto said as he walked a head of Temari "not with what happened. I can't forgive myself for…" tears ran down his face before he started running down the street.

Temari chased after Naruto; she cursed herself for saying something so soon. His neon orange track suit made him easier to follow, but he was just a little faster than her and managed to get out of sight and lost her. She knew he needed time to himself.

Naruto took one look back to make sure he was no longer being perused. Being sure he had lost Temari, he rounded a corner and sat down in an alley. Yes he wanted to be a Kage still, but he didn't think he was worthy of the title; not after what he did. Tears began to fall down his face.

'_You're not hurt are you?'_ he heard Sasuke's voice say to him _'you big baby.'_

'_That was our first mission outside of the village'_ he thought _'I had been cut with a poisoned kunai. I refused to be the reason we'd turn back. I proved to him I wasn't going to let anyone or anything stand in my way.'_

His mind continued to remember the mission with great detail. How he and Sasuke knew exactly how to work together even without saying what the plan was. The tree walking exercise that improved his chakra control; which is when they officially became rivals, and friends.

Even Haku, Zabuza's right hand man that looked like a girl, who had given his life so Zabuza could possibly kill Kakashi. While Haku didn't have a dream of his own, he only wanted to see Zabuza's come true. Right now, Naruto felt like he was Haku; no dream to fight for, but Haku still had a reason to fight.

'_Is there someone precious to you?'_ Haku's voice asked.

Naruto once thought he had several people that he held precious. Once they found out he was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, they stopped talking to him and started hating him. He only had two friends, his age, left in Konoha; Lee and Hinata. The only two his age still that looked at him as a human and understood why he killed Sasuke.

'_WHY ARE YOU IN MY WAY NARUTO?'_ Sasuke's voice shouted angrily at him.

Naruto couldn't let Sasuke leave the village, not if he was going to Orochimaru; which he was. He couldn't let his friend even begin to sink. He made that clear to Sasuke before their final fight. Yet Sasuke still fought Naruto; even after spectators showed up because of the noise. So blinded by hate and a lust for power so he could accomplish his dream.

'_I had a dream too'_ Sasuke's voice said weakly as he remembered when Sasuke saved him from Haku _'I wanted to kill my brother for slaughtering my clan.'_

Sasuke died before he could even get a rematch against his brother. The anger in his eyes as he tried to keep moving towards the gate seemed to have burned an image in the back of Naruto's mind. An image that he couldn't forget.

'_**Don't cry my Kit'**_ Kyuubi said to him _**'you saved him from himself. He was going to fall so low that even if he accomplished his dream, he would've been miserable the rest of his life.'**_

'_I know,'_ tears continued to run down his face _'but he was still my best friend.'_

Temari quickly became worried about Naruto; he had been missing for two hours now. She felt she needed to find him, but she also wanted to give him space. The debate in her mind continued until she finally reached a decision; _'I'll go for a walk; if I find him, I'll talk with him. If I don't I won't be too worried, he might be here when I get back anyway.'_

She stood up and walked out of her apartment; she had small errands to run anyway. As she went to lock the door, she remembered she hadn't given Naruto a key yet and it would be hard for him to get in. It was a tough call, but she settled for locking the door and making sure she'd have all her stuff when she got back.

Naruto managed to find the little ramen shop he saw from his flight with Temari. In truth, he felt a little bad for running from her; she was trying to make him feel better. _'I wonder how Hinata-hime and Bushy-Brow are doing'_ he thought to himself as he sat down on a stool.

The shop wasn't much different than Ichiraku Ramen Shop. One easily noticeable difference is the banners hanging from the front of the shop were tan with black letters rather than white with red letters. There was also more cover that could shield the costumers from the rain; or in this village, a sand storm.

"You must be the new guy in the village" the owner said as he saw the blonde sit down "welcome to the Suna Ramen Stand. What would you like?"

"A large beef and pork ramen if you have any" Naruto answered without looking up.

"You got it" as he started cutting the noodles "I'm Takumi, I run this little shop."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki" as he looked at the owner, who looked a little like Teuchi back in Konoha "I just got here a few days ago."

As soon as he heard his name, Takumi looked at Naruto with wide eyes. That concerned Naruto, he wasn't sure if he was going to be told to leave or worse, attacked.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" as a smile grew across his face "the same guy that beat Lord Kazekage?"

Naruto nodded, that was not what he was expecting someone to know him as. Although it was far better than 'The Demon of Konoha' like he had heard even in the neighboring lands of the fire country.

"Wow" he laughed "I'm cooking ramen for the guy that beat Lord Kazekage. I did not think I'd ever have this pleasure."

That definitely made Naruto feel better; the only ones that ever said serving him was a pleasure was Teuchi and Ayame. Normally he was thrown out of restaurants the moment he stepped in the door, but he was welcomed with open arms here; just like at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar.

"So what brings you here?" he asked.

"Something happened after the Godaime Hokage took office" Naruto said not wanting to go too into detail "and I can't go back now."

Takumi stopped cutting the noodles he was working on and looked at Naruto. With the way he looked, you could swear he understood. Naruto noticed a scar on the owner's neck that looked like when it was inflected it was a bad injury.

"I know what it's like to have something happen" as he rubbed the scar "I used to be a shinobi in Amegakure with my brother. Then one mission went badly; he ended up being killed, and I was forced to retire early" as he picked his knife back up "after that I came here, and learned how to cook ramen; been doing it ever since."

"I had a friend I considered a brother" Naruto said softly "we were rivals, always trying to stay one step ahead of each other. Then during the second part of the Chunin Exams" as his fists tightened up "Orochimaru put a curse mark on him and promised him power."

Takumi listened quietly as he put the noodles he had just cut into the boiling water.

"He fought the mark for a while" with a sad voice now "but after his brother showed back up and easily beat him, he became obsessed with wanting to gain power; in any way possible. He had began to sink from where he once swam ahead of everyone. What truly pissed me off though" as he slammed his fist on the counter "was he not only was willing to use the mark, but he wanted to go to that Snake and be trained by him."

Temari stood outside the shop; out of sight from the owner and Naruto. She had been standing there ever since Naruto started talking about the reason he was banished; however she wasn't aware that he was talking about the situation that got him banished.

"After he woke up from the fight against his brother" she heard Naruto say "he insisted on fighting me. We fought on the roof of the hospital, with every intention of seriously hurting each other. If Kakashi-sensei hadn't stepped in when he did; we would've. It was after that fight that he tried to leave the village."

Temari continued to listen. A tear began to form in her eyes as she thought about how hard it would've been to fight someone so close with the seriousness Naruto said they fought with. Little did she realize that Naruto was making reference to Sasuke as the friend he looked at as a brother.

"I had a feeling ever since the fight on the roof he was going to try to leave" he continued "so I waited for him outside his apartment. When I confronted him about leaving, that's when _the_ fight broke out. The mark began to consume him half way through the fight; his eyes became so full of anger and hate" sounding like he was remembering in perfect detail "soon he began to fight me, not with the intent to just beat me so he could leave, but to kill me. Thanks to a mixed blessing, I guess you could call it, I managed to overpower him. The fight took us towards the gates of the village, and drew many spectators, before I beat him. Even though he knew he was beat, he still tried to get up so he could go to Orochimaru. He was sinking down to the Snake's level; I couldn't let him do that to himself" sounding like he was crying "I had no choice. I had to save him from that, so I snapped his neck with one hit."

"Naruto" Takumi said "I can't begin to understand what it feels like to have to do that. But I understand why you did; you kept him away from what that Snake would've done. You said it yourself" as he put a bowl of ramen in front of Naruto "even after he knew he was beat, he continued to try to get up and leave; even with spectators around. He began to let hate control him, and that is no way to live; I'm sure he'd forgive you" Naruto looked like he was taking the words to heart "I know how long it takes these kinds of wounds to heal" as he sat down next to Naruto "so if you ever need to talk to someone. You know where the shop is" with a smile as he rubbed Naruto's hair.

Temari walked into the ramen shop and hugged Naruto from behind; tears running down her face. The tough kunoichi, that seemed to be heartless during the Chunin Exams, was trying to comfort Naruto.

"One bowl of pork ramen, please" Lee said as he entered Ichiraku Ramen Bar.

"Alright Lee" Teuchi said as he put fresh cut noodles into boiling water "have you heard from Naruto at all?"

"Sadly no" Lee sighed as he sat down "but I am sure his flames of youth are still as strong as ever" a fire seemed to be lit in his eyes as he balled his fist.

"I wish we could've seen him off" Ayame said in a sad tone as she started cutting the pork "but I was sick and dad had to tend the bar."

"Naruto would've wanted you to stay in bed, Ayame-san" Lee assured her "however; I do wish the same thing. But I had a mission with Gai-sensei."

"Hello Ichiraku family" Hinata said as she entered the small restaurant "may I have a small beef ramen please?"

"Of course Hinata" Ayame said as she finished cutting the pork and started cutting the beef with a new knife.

"How is your training going Hinata?" Lee asked.

"Alright" with a smile "but Neji keeps insulting Naruto-kun around me while I train. Kiba and Shino aren't any better."

She remembered how badly those three spoke about Naruto. It infuriated her to hear them say such things. Calling Naruto a 'demon' and practically spitting on his name. Neji she kind of expected it from, seeing how he was still sore about losing to Naruto during the Chunin Exams. Kiba on the other hand, she wanted to hit for what he said; given it was the same stuff, but he and Naruto used to be really good friends. Shino never even bothered to get to know Naruto because Shino, being Shino, was always the quiet guy that scared everyone around him.

"Neji doesn't understand that Naruto has fought for everything he had" Lee said as his ramen was put in front of him "despite knowing what that's like himself, he still looks at Naruto as the Kyuubi. His insults are uncalled for;" as he nearly slammed his fist on the counter "I even fought him once because of them."

A lesson both Lee and Neji would never forget; never fight each other without Gai's permission. They both got stuck with two thousand pushups followed by twenty laps around the village on their hands. Lee didn't mind, but Neji was extremely upset.

"Tenten really doesn't say anything bad about Naruto" Lee continued "but she doesn't stand up for him either. She always sides with Neji when he and I get into an argument. I guess that's the price of ignorance."

"Do you guys know where the Chunin Exams are being held this time?" Teuchi asked getting off the subject "last time brought in some good business and I'd like to know if I need to stock up before hand."

"I am sorry to say this" Lee said "but the Exam is being held in Suna next. They won't be held here again for another year or so;" as he broke his chopsticks apart "but do not worry, I will eat here every day to help support you."

"Sounds like my student is making a promise that Naruto would make" Gai said as he entered the shop "it makes me feel good to see youth willing to help out so unselfishly" as tears ran down his face.

"Gai-sensei" Lee cried.

"Lee."

"Gai-sensei."

"LEE" as he hugged his student.

"GAI-SENSEI" as he hugged him back.

For some reason or another, a genjutsu took hold; it was of a sunset on the beach. The sound of a back popping could be heard in between Gai's and Lee's cries. Who it was coming from, no one wanted to know. The unmistakable apparel of Anko and Kurenai walked pass the shop; one of them snickering.

"Must you do that every time you hear them do that?" Anko asked Kurenai.

"It's funny watching everyone's reaction to it" she giggled.

"You scare me sometimes" Anko sighed.

"Coming from you" with a smile "that's a compliment."

The truth behind this made Anko smile; she was one of the scariest kunoichi in the village. Only behind a pissed or drunk Tsunade after hearing about when Jiraiya was conducting 'research', as he calls it. And that was only topped by when the 'super-perv', as he calls himself, tried to _personally_ measure Tsunade's breasts; saying that he was curious as to how close his guess was.

Jiraiya saw how dependant he was on Naruto to practically control his free time and keep him out of trouble. However, he came to this realization _after_ he woke up in the hospital and was only told Tsunade warned him never to even touch a tape measure around her again. When Naruto was around, Jiraiya had to act at least a little mature and only watch girls at the waterfall; now he was getting caught peeping on kunoichi changing after training in a dojo. He also stated that his researching skills have taken a drastic turn for the worse from how they used to be; probably from being around Naruto so often.

Naruto and Temari got back to Temari's apartment and Naruto went to take a shower. He didn't realize how bad he smelled until he was walking down the street with no wind to keep the smell away from him. Everyone, even Temari, kept at a safe distance from him to keep from smelling him.

When the water hit him, he smiled as his body temperature began to decrease. He never realized how hot the desert could make someone. _'I should've expected the heat of the desert to make someone hot'_ he chuckled _'look at Temari.'_

He looked at the drain and was surprised at how much sand he had attached to him. Being in the desert was going to be a tough thing to adapt to; nothing he wasn't used to. Although the sand did itch badly every now and then.

"I guess I should get new clothes" he said to himself as he turned the water off "my usual outfit is way too thick and doesn't let me breathe in this heat. GAH," as he scratched his head "how does Temari or anyone deal with this heat?"

"Rather easily actually" he heard Temari say from the other side of the door "and I couldn't agree more; that hideous track suit does need to be replaced by something lighter and a completely different color."

"What's wrong with orange?" as he dried himself off.

"Dark orange, nothing;" sounding like she was serious and messing with him "neon orange, you stick out like a sore thumb, even in the desert. Didn't you notice all the shinobi were wearing tans or light grays?"

"Yeah" still drying off "but I like orange."

"If you don't want to look like a tourist the entire time you're here" she laughed "you need to get rid of the orange track suit."

"That's really all I could afford back in Konoha" as he opened the door "I always ended up paying more than what the price actually was."

Temari looked at Naruto as he walked out. He was pale; why, she didn't know. Naruto hadn't told her about what ANBU did to him after the fight with his best friend. It would be a very difficult thing for him to talk about; especially since he was interrogated by the best 'negotiators' in ANBU.

Her eyes were drawn to the spiral looking seal on Naruto's stomach that held the Kyuubi in him. Various symbols along the outside of the spiral with eight of them fanning outwards. This was the mark he had had since birth; his curse, but also his power. She reached out and traced the spiral with her finger.

The way she was looking at it, Naruto could swear she admired the mark. Her eyes never left it, but they held a gentle look when she finally looked back at him. It was almost like she could see all the things that had been done to him, despite the fact that the Kyuubi had removed every scar from his body; minus the scar on his right shoulder from taking a full power Chidori, but that was being fixed, just very slowly.

She put her hand on his cheek and used her thumb to rub his whiskers. To her surprise, the cut he had gotten during the Chunin Exams didn't leave any scar. She was expecting at least a small, faint one that could only be noticed if you knew about it.

"You're face is sun burnt" she finally said "I have aloe in my room."

Naruto started to follow her, but then turned into the room he was staying in and got dressed. As he did he realized just how burnt he was.

'_**Do not worry Kit'**_ Kyuubi said to him _**'with my healing abilities you won't peel, and it'll tan over in a few days. Also, unless you want to have a tan line that looks like your jacket and pants; I suggest you ditch the track suit. Also, be sure to take the girl's advice on your color choices.'**_

Naruto sighed as he put on a pair of shorts that he had. _'Why does everyone keep saying that I need to change my color preferences? And what's wrong with my outfit?'_

'_**Nothing'**_ she laughed _**'if you live in Yuki. The weather is far better suited for that ugly track suit of yours.'**_

"Damn fox" Naruto said aloud as he walked out of his room and bumped into Temari "I'm so sorry" as he started to help her up, but got a clear shot straight down her shirt.

Temari looked at him and saw he was starting to have a noise bleed. With one hit, she gave him a better reason to have one. _'Typical guy'_ she thought as she forced him to sit down in a chair.

"I didn't mean to look down your shirt" Naruto said as Temari started looking for something for him to wipe his nose with.

"Just hold the pressure till I find something for you to clean up your blood with" as she continued to look for her cleaning supplies "and don't drip blood on the carpet."

"It's already stopped bleeding" he sighed "but my sun burn still hurts."

"You've stopped bleeding already?" in shock as she finally found her cleaning supplies.

"Thanks to the Kyuubi" he explained "I heal really fast. After I found out I had the Kyuubi in me, I figured out that's how I managed to keep getting up when I was fighting Kiba. It's also how I…" trailing off as tears began to fall from his face.

He felt Temari's arms wrap around him; once again, she was comforting him. It brought a warm feeling to him; he had already found someone that was being nice to him. What made the feeling even better, was the fact that she didn't care that he was a Jinchuuriki.

'_**Allow me to bestow a small gift to you Kit'**_ Kyuubi said.

Naruto suddenly smelled a heavenly scent of desert flowers. It soothed him as he rested his head against Temari's arm. Each breath he took slowly made him feel better; especially since someone was legitimately hugging him.

'_**It won't make your sense of smell so strong it's too sensitive,'**_ Kyuubi explained _**'but I figured it might come in handy here. I also thought she smelt nice and wanted you to know her scent.'**_

"Temari-san" Naruto said as he rubbed his cheek against her arm "thank you for being nice to me."

"It's the least I can do for you" she said quietly "after all; you gave me my brother back."

Naruto thought about those words; he had given her brother back to her. Saving him not just from the darkness of the Shukaku, but his own heart. In a way, it wasn't that much different than what he did to Sasuke; the only difference was Gaara is still alive.

"Can I ask for some advice" he asked quietly, still admiring her scent.

"Of course" as she used a washcloth to wipe the blood from his face.

"This Kazekage stand in thing Gaara asked me to do" hesitantly "do… do you think… he's right, about it possibly giving me a new dream?"

Temari stopped wiping his face and walked around to look him in the eyes. When she did, she could see the seriousness of his question in his sad, gentle blue eyes. Not only could she see that the question was serious, but also he truly wanted to find something to fight for.

Naruto met Temari's gaze, but not with the same concerned looked. The kunoichi that smelled of desert flowers clearly showed that she was concerned about him. She had allowed him to stay in her apartment, taken him on a flight, and was showing she wanted him to feel better. _'I never realized how much of a dark green her eyes are'_ he thought as Temari put her hand on his cheek _'their beautiful.'_

"You can make your dream whatever you want it to be" she said softly "from becoming a master chief to becoming Kazekage. Here, no one will doubt you or try to talk you down from it."

Naruto put his hand on Temari's cheek and smiled. _'She might have a rough exterior, but deep down, she's gentle'_ he thought as he slowly moved closer to her.

Temari wasn't sure why, but she found herself moving closer to Naruto. Her mind was flooded with thoughts of what could happen; both in the next few seconds and as a result of it. _'He's different than everyone else'_ she convinced herself _'he's not afraid of them.'_

They met half way and kissed; both surprised, but in a good way. Naruto could feel how soft Temari's lips were, despite the fact she lives in the dry desert; it was a similar experience to when Hinata kissed him. It was the first time he had kissed someone, but he wasn't nervous about it.

Temari liked how Naruto started to rub her cheek as they continued their kiss. Although Naruto's lips were dry, she didn't mind; it was her first kiss. Many of the local guys wouldn't even talk to her, and often gave lousy excuses as to why; Naruto not only talked with her, but he didn't seem to care that kissing her could get him killed.

She blushed when Naruto began to break away from the kiss. It was better than what she was expecting; not as good as in the romance books she'd read, but still better. Her blush only got worse when she saw Naruto's once sad eyes now looked like they had happiness.

"I-I'm s-sorry" Naruto said as he looked away and blushed "I-I don't…"

"Don't be" as she put her finger on his lips "I liked it, and to be honest" as she looked away from Naruto "you're the first person to kiss me."

Naruto almost fell over in disbelief. _'How can someone so cute not have been kissed before?'_

"I don't get why" causing Temari to blush even more.

"Well" as she remembered overhearing a group of guys when she was younger "if they weren't afraid of Kankuro, they were afraid of my dad, and if they weren't smart enough to be afraid of him, they were afraid of Gaara-kun."

"Is that why you wear a rough and tough exterior;" as he gently moved her back so she was looking at him "to keep guys away from you so they wouldn't abandon you when they find out who you're related to?"

Temari only nodded; she couldn't believe how spot on he was with his guess. Then again, she did see how the people of Konoha looked at him; yet he still managed to have a smile. He had worn a fake happy face to hide how angry he truly was; just as she wore a tough, hateful look to keep from getting hurt.

"I'm sorry" as he pulled her in for a hug.

Temari didn't say anything as she returned his hug; _'Thank you, Naruto-kun'_ she thought. Then _'kun? Where the hell did that come from?'_ she felt Naruto gently squeeze tighter _'I guess I can call him kun'_ as she did the same _'just not out loud.'_

One thing Naruto never truly understood, aside from why Tsunade used a genjutsu to hide her age, was why women always wanted to go shopping. To him if it wasn't too badly damaged and still fit, it was fine. Then again, he's always had to be a very tight pincher when it came to his pennies.

Temari dragged him from one store to the next looking for something he liked that wasn't orange or a track suit. The looks he was getting showed that many were asking the same question to themselves; is he suicidal? He honestly didn't care though, it wasn't any different than when he was kissed by Hinata in public; many of the spectators thought he had kissed her, and that Hiashi would end up killing him.

He managed to find a pair of shorts he liked; they were a light tan that hugged tightly against his waist and around his thighs, several pockets that were large enough to hold a scroll or two, and best of all, according to Temari, it wasn't orange. In his opinion though, the best feature was the fact that it didn't let sand in unless he put it there himself. He grabbed a few pairs of the same style and in three different colors; black, tan, and gray.

He never thought that shopping for clothes was such a big deal; again, he was a penny pincher. The only time he actually spent money on clothes was when he out grew them. _'Once I have clothes better suited for here I'll be able to rest'_ he thought as he followed Temari into another store _'and people thought I have ridiculous stamina. She hasn't skipped a beat in finding clothes for me, or her for that fact.'_

Temari looked at a few dresses that caught her eye. She was more of a window shopper than anything, only really buying clothes if she had too; too bad for Naruto she had just out grown her bras and a few of her shirts, not to mention her favorite dress. The dress she was looking at was a dark green, almost like her eyes, the fabric met just below the cleavage point and made a single strap that would go over her left shoulder.

"What do you think about this dress?" she asked Naruto as he finally caught up with her.

"Looks good" with a smile as a thought came to his mind "but I can't say for sure till I see it one you" with a foxy grin.

Temari started looking for one that was in her size. She knew what Naruto was doing, but she wanted to see his reaction. _'He's smarter than the people in Konoha gave him credit for'_ as she went into the dressing room.

'_Ero-sennin would be proud'_ he giggled to himself as he tried to imagine what she'd look like when she stepped out.

When Temari walked out, Naruto got a double nose bleed from the sight. The single strap hardly covered her breast or cleavage, the snug fit showed her hour glass figure, and the length of the dress stopped half way down her thigh. What only made it worse was when she let her hair down, walked over to him, and kissed him on the cheek; he could hardly stand.

Temari walked back into the dressing room and giggled a little. _'That was more fun than I thought'_ as she heard Naruto finally fall over and saw one foot twitching.

'_I failed you Ero-sennin'_ he cried mentally _'I couldn't even remain standing after she kissed me.'_

Naruto and Temari sat in the apartment as they laid out what they had bought on their shopping expedition. Both feeling tired from the long day, Naruto was now very burnt and looked like a lobster. Luckily they had picked up plenty of aloe and sun-block for the blonde boy.

Temari was surprised at how comfortable Naruto was with helping her dig through the racks of bras to find the right size for her. Although she couldn't help but to think there were alternative motives behind it. Whatever his reasons, she was glad he was willing to help out; especially since the shop was down to its last two in her size.

She had bought the dress she teased Naruto with; knowing that she'd wear it plenty of times before she outgrew it. The thought of how long it took her to get Naruto back up after she kissed him on the cheek made her giggle mentally. Some of the locals thought he was having a heat stroke because of how burnt he was.

Naruto finished pulling off the last of the tags from his new clothes. He had found a few mesh shirts that would work out great with his shorts, no matter which color he wore. After much debate, he settled for a sand color for most of his shirts; seeing how he was in the desert and white would be quickly ruined.

He managed to find a pair of lower grade special ops gloves on sale in one equipment store. The gloves were dark tan with metal plates on the back had the Suna symbol on them. If Temari hadn't seen them in the discount bin, he probably never would've found them.

"Poor Gama-chan, you're thin now" Naruto sighed as he put his frog looking money holder on the table.

"Have you thought about Gaara-kun's offer?" Temari asked as she took her new clothes to her room.

"I'm still debating" as he looked out the window and onto the streets "it felt good to be able to walk into a store and not be chased out or even have to overpay for something. No one even gave me a dirty look for asking if there was something my size in the back."

"What about becoming a Suna shinobi?" as she walked back into the room.

"That's a better possibility" as he looked back at her "but I still don't think I should. Not after…" fighting to say it "not after I killed Sasuke."

When he said that; it dawned on Temari that the person he had talked about having killed was Sasuke. _'Why didn't I see it sooner'_ as she walked over to Naruto and hugged him _'Sasuke Uchiha, the Uchiha clan massacre, the only one in his village that knew his pain of being alone. I can be so stupid'_ as she felt Naruto wrap his arms around her.

"Is that why you got banished?" she asked softly as she felt Naruto tighten his hold around her. Naruto nodded. "I'm sorry. If you need me to do anything to help you, just ask." Naruto nodded again.

"If I'm a civilian" Naruto asked "will I still be able to train by myself?"

"That's something you'd have to ask Gaara-kun" as she rubbed his head.

"I don't see why he can't" they heard from a chair in the room.

The sand in the air around Gaara showed he had just got there. His gourd was across his back, and the sand around him went back into it. The cork to his gourd remained in his hand as he looked at the two holding each other.

Naruto began to think he should start running, but three reasons were stopping him. First, Gaara could always catch him. Second, Naruto didn't know his way around the village yet or know of any good hiding spots. Third and most importantly, he knew it would hurt Temari.

A small hint of a smile grew on Gaara's face. Temari's eyes went wide when she saw this; that's twice in one day he has smiled. She cursed herself for not having a camera to have proof of this legendary feat.

"It's nice to see my Onee-san happy" Gaara said as his sand took the cork back to his gourd "I remember when we were younger, she always wanted to be around me and Kankuro. Back then I didn't even want to bother with family, so I always ignored her. Even though I was far away, I could see how everyone avoided her when they found out I was her brother."

Gaara could see the sadness in Temari's eyes as he spoke. While it made him feel weird talking about his sister's past, he knew Naruto would be able to relate to her in some way.

"I don't mind you training as a civilian" Gaara said "but if you do, I would like you to fill out the shinobi reserves paperwork. This way if you wish to become a full Suna shinobi it'll much easier for me; and there will be far less" as he seemed to shutter at the word "paperwork."

"Alright" Naruto said as he let go of Temari and looked at his fellow Jinchuuriki "I'll be a reserve shinobi at least. I only have one request."

"Which is?"

Naruto couldn't believe how brotherly Gaara, _Gaara_, was acting towards both him and Temari. It reminded him of Sasuke, and Tsunade. Tsunade did everything she could to protect Naruto from being executed; Sasuke was always his reason to get stronger faster, to stay one step ahead of his rival. Gaara was willing to help him find a reason to get strong fast, and he was sure that Gaara wouldn't mind being rivals; after all they are technically friends.

"I don't want to be put on a team" as he looked at Gaara "not yet, anyway."

"I see" as he stood up "then I'll see if I can find you a personal trainer to…"

"No" Naruto said cutting him off "I still have a few things I need to get out of my system, and I don't want anyone around when I do. Once I fill out the paperwork, I'll go into the desert, alone, and get everything out of my system."

"I take it you've found something to fight for" as he looked at Naruto, who had a confused look on his face "you said you don't want anyone around when you get everything out of your system, and that you'd go into the desert alone. I'm assuming you don't want to personally, or see someone, destroy Suna."

Naruto remained quiet; he felt he did find something to fight for, but he didn't want to say anything. Every fight he has been in he had some reason to fight; from simply surviving the fight to getting to the next round during the Chunin Exams to keeping Sasuke from sinking to Orochimaru's level. Each fight had given him a different reason to keep fighting, but all those reasons revolved around becoming Hokage. Which was something he could no longer be.

"I-I'm still not sure what to have as a dream" as he looked down at the ground "but I can at least protect the village I live in."

"I understand" as the cork came out of his gourd "I'll wait for you in my office. I will have the paperwork waiting on you to fill out" as he turned into sand and blew out the window.

Temari waited for all the sand to blow out the window before she spoke.

"Just going out into the desert isn't smart" she warned "it's easy to get disoriented and lost. If you want I can show you where one of my private training areas is at."

"You don't have to" as he walked into his room "I'm not sure what will happen when I get everything out of my system, but I'd prefer if you'd be in the village; safely away from me."

"I'm offering so that you'd be safe" as she put her hand on his shoulder "it's a safe distance from the village. I'd just be more comfortable if you were somewhere where someone could find you if you're gone for too long."

Naruto couldn't believe how kindly he was being treated. One part of him wished he had been treated this kindly in Konoha, but the other part didn't want to make the comparison. Even being labeled as 'The New Kid' was much better than 'Demon'; at least with 'The New Kid' people want to see what he can do. Whereas, 'Demon' no one would even talk to him unless they absolutely had to.

He couldn't help but to notice how much like Hinata Temari was; she legitimately cared for him. Not only did she not care about the Kyuubi being within him, but she was avoided because of her brothers; just like Hinata was avoided because of her father. The only difference between them was how they reacted to being avoided; Hinata took a serious self-confidence blow, whereas Temari put on a rough and heartless mask.

"Thanks" as he kissed her hand.

"Lord Kazekage" a council member said "I can understand why some would be hesitant to this request. After all, we don't know the full reason for him being banished; for all we know he could've tried to kill Lady Tsunade."

"He doesn't seem to be kind of person that would do anything that is claimed that he did without an extremely good reason" Gaara said to the council member "he saved me from the darkness of the Shukaku. He needs to be saved before he becomes lost in darkness" as he set his gourd on the ground next to him, none of the council members seemed to be changing their minds "if you wish, I can always get Lady Chiyo's opinion on the subject."

Every council member froze, this was the first time he was threatening to get an Elder's opinion about anything; even in his three months of being Kazekage, he had always tried to resolve problems on his own rather than take the easier way out. No one could've guessed that this new boy in the village had that much of an impact on their Kazekage.

It became clear to Gaara that he would when no one bothered to rethink their opinion. Even though he didn't like having to use the oldest puppet master as leverage; it was something that had to be done. He had always taken the challenges of being Kazekage head on, asking for advice only when needed; although his brother and sister had always offered suggestions they felt were necessary to voice.

"She is on one of her walks" a second member spoke "she won't be back for several days" he looked at the rest of the council members "I suggest we hold off on making a final decision until she returns, speaks with the boy one on one, and tells us her opinion about him."

"If I may be so bold Council" a new voice was heard as footsteps faintly echoed through the chamber "I have spoken with Uzumaki-san" as he came into view and stood to Gaara's left "and I think he needs to find a reason for his life."

"What evidence do you have to support this;" a third member asked "Takumi-san."

"He told me about someone he looked at as a brother" the ramen shop owner said "and about how he felt he had no choice but to keep his friend from sinking. He seems to be the kind of boy that will fight to the very end of his life, as long as he has a breath in him, to protect someone precious or to achieve a dream."

"Are you saying this because you feel sympathy for the Jinchuuriki" a fourth asked "or because you legitimately wish to help him?"

Gaara wanted to kill the council member for referring to Naruto by a title that practically labeled every container as a demon. Not only was it an insult to him, but his friend as well; how he managed to suppress the urge, he didn't know. Though he knew he had changed since his fight with Naruto.

"I won't lie and say I don't feel sympathy for the boy" Takumi said in a sad tone "but from what I can tell, he feels what he did was right; however traumatizing it might've been" he rubbed his left leg "I am here to try to help him find something precious again. And if it looks like I'm only being sympatric, then so be it. I understand the pain of losing family; I'm trying to help him."

"Your words will be taken into consideration" the first council member said as he stood up "this meeting stands adjourn until Lady Chiyo has spoken with the boy and is willing to give her opinion about him."

Gaara couldn't help but to feel like he had basically been told, not only no but hell no. If it weren't for the fact that he was thirteen, they would've agreed with him in a matter of minutes. They still saw him as a weapon of war, but they still put their trust in him to protect the village.

The council members got up from their sets, bowed to the young Kazekage, and left the chamber. Each one was questioning their young kage's reasons for wanting the Jinchuuriki to become a shinobi for Suna. While they held the up most respect for him, he was still young and inexperienced.

"I'm sorry I took so long to get here; Lord Kazekage" Takumi said as he bowed to Gaara "but my leg isn't what it used to be."

"It's quite alright" Gaara said as he picked his gourd back up "I'm sure Naruto will be thankful for your words to the Council. As am I" as he gave his elder a small bow "I just wish I could see the full report about what happened. From what I understand, there were numerous witnesses to the event that caused him to get banished."

"He said there was" as he rubbed his neck "he was in full tears before he could finish telling me about his friend."

"He told you about the event that got him banished?" with slight shock.

"Not directly" with a sad tone "but it was implied."

Gaara didn't want to push the matter any further, seeing his elder was uncomfortable talking about it behind Naruto's back. Neither was Gaara for that fact; it just didn't feel right to him. _'I should track down Lady Chiyo and get her to speak with Naruto as soon as possible'_ he thought as he bid his elder farewell.

Naruto finally got done with the reserve paperwork. He had no idea there were so many things that needed to be filled out. He was expecting the usual name, rank, affiliation, place of birth, and a few other things. However, he wasn't expecting the bits that required him to list every injury he's had; he couldn't remember each one of them.

While he had the luxury of being able to lie about how many he has gotten and not get caught; he opted to make a note on the bottom of the page saying he most likely received more than those, but couldn't remember them. The last thing he wanted to do was cause trouble for the young kage that was his friend.

Naruto let out a sigh the exact same time as Gaara, who was doing other paperwork at the time. Temari couldn't help but to laugh. _'If Naruto was sitting behind a desk'_ she thought _'he'd look almost exactly like Gaara-kun.'_

"Hn" Naruto and Gaara said together.

At that point Temari couldn't keep herself under control; she fell to the floor laughing. Hardly being able to breathe because of how alike Naruto and her brother were at the moment. Her laughter caused Gaara's secretary to come in and make sure everything was alright.

Gaara merely gave his secretary a hateful look, and the secretary left without a word. He knew why Temari was laughing; he was an insomniac, not mentally retarded. If this was how his sister was reacting; he didn't want to know how Kankuro would react.

"That should be the last of it" Naruto sighed as he handed Gaara the paperwork.

Gaara read over the paperwork, and seemed a little surprised at the list of injuries Naruto is claiming. Not only did his fellow Jinchuuriki not have scars that would suggest any of the alleged wounds, but he didn't even list all of them. He was also surprised to see the note at the end; 'I can't remember what others I have had'.

One injury on the list stuck out though, it was the same one Gaara had received during the Chunin Exams while fighting Sasuke. He knew that he didn't have time to think about it at the moment, but it just wouldn't leave him alone. _'Did he and Uchiha fight on a serious level?'_

"Did I leave anything out?" Naruto asked snapping Gaara out of his thoughts.

"Everything looks good" as he placed the paperwork in a vanilla folder "it will take a few days for your paperwork to be processed by the Council."

"Alright" looking out the window "I guess that will be enough time" his mind already remembering what happened after his fight. "I'll be back in a few days" Naruto said with a bow as he fought tears "Temari knows where I'll be at incase something comes up."

Gaara nodded as Naruto grabbed the bag he had brought with him and walked out the door. A part of him wanted to order one of the special op shinobi to tail him to make sure he would be okay. But the other part knew this was something Naruto had to do on his own; just as he did after he returned to Suna after the Chunin Exams.

"Onee-san" Gaara said as Naruto closed the door behind him "I wish to ask you a question; as a brother rather than the Kazekage."

Temari stopped laughing when she heard Gaara say this. Gaara rarely asked questions as the Kazekage unless it was important to the village for him to know; as a brother was even rarer.

"What is it, Gaara-kun?"

"Did he tell you?" looking at his sister, who clearly knew what he was talking about.

"About something being sealed within him?" in a low voice "or about why he got banished?"

"I was referring to him being like me" as he stood up and walked to his window "and I am thankful you look at him as a human as you do me. Very few our age in Konoha knew before he came here; however," looking back at his sister "I knew he was like me during the Chunin Exams. I could see the anger behind his goofy smile; he resented the adults of Konoha but didn't hold it against those our age. Now though; I can see the anger and hatred behind his eyes that is directed towards almost everyone in Konoha. Do you know exactly what got him banished?" as he walked over to his sister.

"He…" hesitantly "are you asking as a brother, and his friend, or as Kazekage?" making sure none of this would get put on the record.

"I'm asking as your brother, and his friend" with a surprising gentle tone.

Temari was still hesitant; she didn't want to go behind Naruto's back. Even though Naruto and Gaara were technically friends, it bothered her.

"Could you dismiss your bodyguards?"

"You're all dismissed till further notice" Gaara ordered.

Five shinobi appeared with a swirl of sand, Suna's version of the Shunshin, said 'Hai Lord Kazekage' in unison, bowed and left the room.

"He told me he killed his best friend" she said quietly after waiting to make sure the bodyguards were well out of hearing "I just can't imagine why'd they threw him out so quickly."

"What makes you think there was anything quickly about when they banished him?" as he made two chairs for them to sit in.

"The other night he woke up screaming" she informed him "as if the memory was not only fresh but taunting him. He spoke of his fight like he was reliving it."

Gaara gently made his sister sit down in the chair; knowing that the next bit would be hard for her to hear. If she handled the news well, the worse she would do is pound the next Leaf Shinobi she sees; at worse she'd go to the source and 'explain', for lack of nicer words, her opinions about what they did.

"I want you to try to remain calm when I tell you this" Gaara said as he sat in the second chair "promise me you won't do anything that could damage our already fragile relationship with Konoha." Temari only nodded. "Verbally."

"I promise I won't do anything" with uneasiness noticeable in her voice.

"The event that got Naruto banished" he said as he could see Temari begin to get uneasy "happened a little over six weeks ago."

That one sentence hit Temari like a three straight day training session. She felt weak, and shocked; then a question came to her.

"If that happened six weeks ago" she snapped as she stood up faster than anyone could ever hope to manage "then where the hell was he before he left Konoha? What happened to him?"

Gaara used his sand to push Temari back into the sand chair. He was tempted to restrain her for the next bit of information. He knew what to expect from her after he told her; after all, she had gotten into fights when she heard someone call Gaara a demon. He also knew that she'd most likely go head hunting once she found out.

"From what Lady Hokage had told me" Gaara said as he looked at his sister in his usual way "he spent the first week running from angry, and almost all, villagers. He was found in secret caverns in the Hokage Monument passed out from chakra depletion. After which" he hesitated out of fear of what his sister would do "he was chained to a cell wall in ANBU solitary confinement."

The anger coming from Temari could be felt in the air; it almost made Gaara shiver in fear. It was about as bad as how he was before Naruto beat him. The sense of a lust for blood was noticeable; he had never seen his sister this angry.

"HOW COULD THEY DO THAT?" she shouted in anger as she stood up "HE'S NOT A DEMON, HE IS A HUMAN BEING. WHY WOULD THEY CHAIN HIM TO A WALL LIKE SOME ANIMAL?"

Gaara quickly wrapped sand around his sister to keep her under control. Even though he had dealt with Temari being angry before; this time surely beat every other time before. This time, Gaara was thankful that he had the level of control over the sand he did; otherwise the Shukaku would be busy protecting him.

"Is everything alright Lord Kazekage?" the secretary asked as he opened the door.

"Everything is fine" Gaara said as he wrapped his sister's mouth to keep her quiet "I had just informed Temari of some difficult news."

Without another word the secretary left.

While Gaara admired how protective Temari could be; right now it was becoming a headache. She hated when the villagers called him a monster, even more when they called him demon or Shukaku. They might not have been very close, but she still loved him.

"Onee-san" Gaara said "you need to calm down if you want me to release you. Otherwise I can keep you here all night" as he looked back at his sister, who was still having a tantrum.

Temari took a few deep breaths and managed to regain enough control of her anger to nod to her little brother. Although she knew he wouldn't dismiss her until he was one hundred percent sure that she was calm enough to leave.

Naruto finally got to Temari's private training area, but he was already in tears from the memories of what happened almost immediately following Sasuke's death by his hand. He threw his bag down in a small cavern that looked large enough to put a decent sized tent in it. Now he could finally get everything as out of his system as possible without an actual confrontation.


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto finally got to Temari's private training area, but he was already in tears from the memories of what happened almost immediately following Sasuke's death by his hand. He threw his bag down in a small cavern that looked large enough to put a decent sized tent in it. Now he could finally get everything as out of his system as possible without an actual confrontation.

He held out his hand and started moving his other hand quickly above the other. After s short while, a blue sphere began to form in his hand. Just looking at it brought good memories back to Naruto; being out of the village, no one knowing he was 'The Demon of Konoha', and being more at ease.

However, amongst those memories was Orochimaru. What he did to Tsunade and Jiraiya, but worse than that was what he did to Sasuke. The snake was not only responsible for Sasuke's death, but him being banished. If he had it his way, the snake would die a very slow and painful death.

"Rasengan" he shouted as he slammed the sphere into the sand at his feet.

When the sphere met the sand, a large vortex shot straight up around Naruto. From the outside it looked like a desert twister. The twister held its own as Naruto held the Rasengan in place and continued to throw more and more sand into the swirling winds around him. A little sand got into his eyes, but he didn't care right now.

Temari was having dinner with Kankuro and Gaara on the roof of Kazekage Tower. Kankuro looked like he was trying to be extra careful not to smear his makeup. That was the one thing Temari never could understand about her oldest sibling; why would he even want to wear make up? She looked at it as a waste of money, especially in their line of work.

Gaara was trying not to drip anything on the paperwork he had to finish; the last thing he wanted to do was start over when he was almost done. The young Kazekage was trying to get to know his family better; he even went on a small training trip in the desert with his older siblings to help the 'bonding process', as he heard Temari call it. He was in agreement with Temari about Kankuro and his questionable desire for facial products. The Kazekage stopped what he was doing when he saw a thin line of sand shoot into the air._ 'A cyclone'_ he thought _'this late in the season, not likely. Then it must be Naruto.'_

"Isn't that in the direction of your personal training ground Temari-chan?" Kankuro asked as he took a drink of water.

"I'm afraid so" as she looked towards it "I just hope everything is alright."

"Isn't it about time to replace the targets and training dummies anyway?" with a confused look.

"It is" Temari sighed; clearly her brother was clueless unless it involved him.

"I just hope Naruto isn't caught in that" Gaara said as he set the last of his paperwork down "he doesn't know how to handle being in one yet."

"Speaking of Naruto" Kankuro said as he looked at Temari "where is he? Last I saw; you were dragging him into different stores. I even heard that he had a heat stroke in one store."

"He was just tired" Temari lied without looking back to the puppeteer "and sun burnt. It wasn't anything to worry about."

"Then I shouldn't say what else I heard" he snickered as he took another bite of his meal.

Temari threw her cup at Kankuro and it landed square on the chopsticks, pushing them to the back of his throat. Gaara sighed as he watched Kankuro fight the reflex to puke and slowly pulled the chopsticks out from his mouth. _'I still don't know if this is normal for families'_ Gaara thought _'but Kankuro always says things to upset Onee-san; even if I don't understand what it is he says, or implies that Onee-san always gets upset over.'_

"I'm sure Naruto is fine Onee-san" Gaara said as he shook his head "but I'm also a little worried about him. That cyclone isn't natural."

"Why the fuck are we stopping already?" Tayuya asked as her team set up camp.

"We don't have your stamina" Kidoumaru said.

"So it's my fault if fat ass here can't keep the fuck up?" pointing at Jiroubou.

"WHAT'D I SAY ABOUT CURSING" Jiroubou snapped at her.

"Will both of you shut-up?" Sakon asked "we're one day west of the target area and we need to head east. And because we don't know what to expect out here in this forsaken desert, I said set up camp for the night."

Jiroubou helped Kidoumaru weave two hammocks out of the gold web he made. Sakon laid down on his side and waited for sleep to come to him. Tayuya just laid herself out on the ground and looked at the stars.

"So" Tayuya asked "who's the fuckin' target?"

"Temari of the Sand Siblings" Sakon said back as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"That's how Orochimaru-sama is going to start the war?" Kidoumaru asked in surprise.

"YES" Sakon snapped "I'll finish briefing you in the morning. Now go to sleep!"

No one said another word as they finished what they were doing and went to sleep. Tayuya was resisting going to sleep; she felt fine. _'If these fucktards were here I would've been there three or four hours ago'_ she snapped inwards _'damn orders.'_

Naruto woke up to the sound of a fire crackling near him. The last thing he remembers was slamming a Rasengan into the face of the cliff and passing out. Yet again, he faced chakra depletion; which was weird because he normally could go for days before feeling the symptoms. His hands were shaking a little, and could barely move his fingers properly.

"So" an elderly voice said "you're finally awake."

"Who are you?" Naruto asked as he rolled onto his side and pushed himself up.

"Chiyo" she said to him as he stood up.

His legs were a little wobbly and his right foot was asleep. He shook his foot and felt the blood rush back to it. It was surprisingly quiet outside; he was so used to hearing some sort of bugs at night that the quiet seemed to bug him.

"Naruto Uzumaki;" as he stretched his arms "what's an old lady like you doing out here in the desert at night?" seeing that the sun had set.

"Don't talk to me like I'm an old hag; and I'm on a walk" as she turned a stick "I assume you're hungry."

"Starving" as he stretched his legs "how'd you pull me in here? I passed out outside."

"Gwahahaha" she laughed "I used to be quite the kunoichi back in my prime. I don't think pulling one boy into a safe cavern is that difficult."

"You're worse than Oba-chan" as a sweat drop appeared on the back of his head "she hates being called old, but goes on about 'back in the day' when she's drunk."

"We'll take about that later" still laughing "but I have a question for you. What's a young boy like yourself doing out here in the middle of the desert at night?"

Naruto didn't reply back; he was still trying to get everything out of his system. The last thing he wanted to do was burden an old lady with his problems. He had been alone most of his life, that meant he learned to deal with his problems alone.

"Are you going to make me ask again?" as she looked at Naruto.

Naruto saw the two liver spots on her face. The deep wrinkles that have taken hold of her face also stood out. Her hair was gray and almost well hidden under a tan skullcap. '_Saying she was old would be a complement from the looks of her; because she looks ancient.'_

"I was getting stuff out of my system" as he sat down next to the old lady.

"I saw" as she shook her head "just lashing out at various imminent objects. Here" as she handed the young blonde a stick that had something on it "eat it."

"What is it?" as he took it from her.

The item in question had a stick shoved through it from end to end and was further secured to the stick with a metal wire. Chiyo used a kunai to cut the wire and four small appendages fell from where they were. Naruto sniffed the item and looked at Chiyo.

"Everything tastes better if you don't know what it is" she laughed.

Naruto cautiously took a bite, and was surprised when he tasted it; it was surprisingly good. He quickly took a second bite and pulled a small bone out from between his jaws. After examining the small bone, he threw it into the fire and continued to eat.

"So" when he got finished "what was that?"

"A horned lizard" as she put another piece of wood on the fire.

Naruto immediately turned green; he felt sick. He had just been tricked into eating a creepy reptile. His stomach began to turn and he quickly walked out of the cavern. Once he had fresh air though, his stomach settled again.

"Gwahahaha" Chiyo laughed "I thought kids your age were supposed to have a stronger stomach than that."

Naruto didn't say anything as he took a deep breath and walked back into the cavern. While he still looked a little green, it just wasn't as bad. The lizard tasted good, but he wished she hadn't told him that it was one.

"So," Chiyo asked to help the youngster get his mind off his stomach "who's your Oba-chan?"

"She'd not really my Oba-chan" he laughed "I just call her that because she's old enough to be."

Chiyo laughed at this; she had heard of orphans often calling their elders by parental titles, but didn't think she'd ever meet one that did.

"That's something else" as she continued to laugh "who is this woman you call Oba-chan?"

"Tsunade-sannin" as he sat back down.

Chiyo stopped laughing immediately. Memories of the Second Great Shinobi War came to her elderly mind. She often hated the woman that was able to cure any poison she came up with, but still held her in high respect; after all, anyone that could cure her poisons definitely earned it.

"What's she look like?" she asked without looking at Naruto.

"I have no idea what she really looks like" Naruto sighed "she uses a genjutsu to hide her age. But trust me when I say she's hard to miss."

"Age is nothing to be ashamed of" Chiyo said softly "but I remember when the shinobi would just about fight over me. Gwahahaha" laughing at the memory "but that was long ago."

'_Ok, not like Oba-chan'_ Naruto thought with a sweat drop _'worse than her.'_

Chiyo continued to laugh at the memories that returned to her. Then smiled when the one of when her husband first met her; not exactly love at first sight, they nearly hated each other. However long it took them to fall for each other, it worked out; they had a handsome son, and a beautiful grandson.

"Hey, Granny Chiyo" Naruto said seeing she was zoned out "you ok?"

"Hai" with a smile still "just remembering good memories. You never told me exactly why you're out here."

Naruto still didn't want to talk about it, that much was obvious to the Elder. She knew the feeling though, and knew that talking about it was the best way to get pain out of one's system. However, she also didn't want to force the boy into talking about it either.

"I don't want to talk about it" Naruto said as he rolled over to his side away from the Elder.

"I know I'm going to sound like I'm prying it out of you" she said looking at him from the corner of her eye "but even the best medicine only eases the pain; only talking about what caused it can make it truly go away."

"After you kill your best friend" Naruto said sadly "then you can try getting me to talk about my pain."

Temari sat at the table in her apartment cleaning her fan. A nightly routine to ensure that all the grains of sand were out of it, and also expanding the life of her fan. Each careful wipe with a damp cloth was light, and precise; meant to not only clean the dust from the paper and steel woven material of the fan, but to get the sand out from the in-between the ribs of the fan.

Although she had only spent one day with the number one hyperactive knuckle-head shinobi, she already missed him. A part of her wanted to go make sure he was at least ok, but she knew he had asked her to not go to him unless something urgent came up. Something that she was sure didn't fall under the urgent category was her concern for him; unless she felt his life was at risk.

She still couldn't let go of her frustration of how Naruto was treated after he killed Sasuke. He might be a Jinchuuriki, but he was still human. Had anyone treated her brother like that, blood would've flowed into the streets and never stopped. The way she saw it, that village was lucky Gaara had a few of his body guards watching her; otherwise she'd be on her way to Konoha right now.

"I hope he's alright" she said to herself as she put the damp cloth in the dirty clothes hamper.

Lee had just finished a mission with the rest of his team. Not only were they tired from making sure they met the deadline for it, but they were slowly pushing each others' buttons. How Gai managed to keep peace in his team after they left was a mystery to him.

"The demon only beat me because of his demonic chakra" Neji snapped at Lee.

"Don't talk about Naruto as if he is the Kyuubi" Lee said back "he is human just like the rest of us."

"Do I need to remind you two about fighting without my permission?" Gai asked with a serious tone seeing Lee was grabbing Neji by his jacket.

"No Gai-sensei" as he let go of Neji and walked towards Hokage tower to hand in the mission report he had written up when they stopped for lunch.

If Lee wasn't so level headed he probably would've hit Neji with everything he had. What only made it worse was the fact that he only had one outlet, training till he dropped from exhaustion. If it weren't for Lee's loyalty to Gai and the Hokage, he would've left not long after Naruto. Gai couldn't help but to wonder how long till his student finally snapped. Sure Lee had always cooled off rather fast and put any past disagreements behind him, but with everyone in the village practically partying because Naruto was gone and talking bad about him; it was only a matter of time.

"Now I have to go deal Hinata talking as if the Demon of Konoha is human" Neji spat as he walked towards the Hyuga compound "I'm never going to get a break from that crap."

"I need a drink" Gai said with a sigh as he wiped his face with his hand.

Gai walked for ten minutes trying to forget the stress he had just left behind; but failed. Trying to come up with a way to get his team to see eye to eye with each other only caused more. He knew that no matter what he would do Neji would always talk bad about Naruto, and Lee would stick up for Naruto. It was a never ending cycle that would cause more trouble than it's worth.

He pushed open the door to his favorite bar and looked around; he saw a few familiar faces, but most were civilians that still had negative opinions about Naruto. He let out a sigh knowing that he'd never be able to escape the argument about the blonde boy. As he walked over to the counter, a friend pulled out a chair for him to sit in.

"Thanks Kakashi" he said with a sigh as he sat down.

"One of those days, huh?" the scarecrow asked.

"You have no idea" as the bartender poured him his drink "if it wasn't bad enough that Neji and Lee are always arguing; Tenten never seems to put water on the raging fire. So what have you been doing now that you have so much free time?" as he took a drink.

"Hinata-san has asked me to help her with her training" as he flipped a page in his book.

"Why'd you accept?" knowing that the scarecrow did.

"She said that she couldn't focus when training with her team" as he sighed "she told me Kiba and Shino keep insulting Naruto. I'm surprised she hasn't snapped" looking at his rival "at least you have one student that's neutral about Naruto; she has to put up with both her teammates talking bad about him. Plus, she has to deal with it at home from Neji."

While Kakashi would never admit it, he was honored that the Hyuga heiress asked him to help her train. She was definitely motivated to get stronger, especially when she made Naruto that promise. It was also nice for him to be able to continue teaching someone; especially since Sakura was transferred to team ten, since Shikamaru passed the Chunin Exams before the chaos broke out.

"What does Kurenai think about you training her on the side?" as the bartender poured another drink for him.

"I'm not going to say she's overjoyed" as he reached for his own drink "but she's glad to see that Hinata is looking for a way to continue training and not pound her teammates into the ground."

Gai hesitated to take another drink; _'And I thought Lee and Neji were bad…'_

"How does Hiashi-sama feel about you training her?"

"Funny thing" the scarecrow chuckled "I'm not sure she's told him."

Hiashi sneezed as he placed the last file on the stack he spent the day working on. It was definitely one of those days that didn't seem to end. The endless paperwork, training with Hinata, and to top that, he believes he's getting sick.

"I need a vacation" he sighed as he leaned back in his chair before he heard a knock on the door "enter."

"I have returned from my mission Hiashi-sama" Neji said as he entered the room.

"Very well" as Neji bowed and walked out "I can't believe Naruto couldn't beat some sense into that boy during the Chunin Exams."

Hinata lowered herself into the hot bathwater; her body was sore and stiff from training with Kakashi. Never did she think that the scarecrow trained like he did. Although it did answer her question, 'how did Naruto-kun get so strong so fast'. The former ANBU apologized to her midway through the training saying that he forgot she wasn't used to the training he normally does.

In truth though, she didn't care how hard it was. She made Naruto a promise and was going to keep it; in any way possible. Even if it meant doing triple workouts almost every day, she wanted to get stronger. Gentle fist training in the morning with her father, then training with her team starting at ten, and after that training with Kakashi, if he was available.

As the water finally reached over her shoulders, her muscles began to relax a bit. A sigh of relief was let out as she massaged her shoulder. She knew it was only a matter of time before her father figured out she was getting additional training outside of the clan, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him. The clan tradition had always been each member only used Gentle Fist; but she had learned genjutsu, normal Taijutsu, and Kakashi said once she has enough chakra he'd show her a few ninjutsu. She was sure her father was going to very upset.

"I need to tell father about my extra training" she said to herself as she began to clean herself.

Her body ached in protest to her movements to clean herself. This was just from the first day of her triple training workout regiment; so she knew it was going to be a while before she got used to it. It was tempting for her to pass out right there in the tub, but she still had to have dinner with her family. Something she truly wasn't looking forward to; especially when Neji sat right next to her at the table.

She hoped she could speak with her father after dinner rather than during or even before. This way he would have time to speak with her in private about the matter. Because it was something she absolutely did not want the rest of the clan to know about.

Hinata woke up the next morning feeling worse than she went to sleep. Her body was refusing to move at all, all her muscles were tense, and what only made things worse was the fact that she had a cramp in her thigh. How she managed to sleep at all last night was a mystery to her.

On the bright side of things though, her conversation with her father went much better than expected. He even complemented her for looking for additional help in her training. While he wasn't exactly thrilled she was learning outside of the clan's fighting style, he saw it as a way to see if the 'tradition' needed a big change. And who better to put it to the test than the heiress that many, even himself at a time, underestimate.

Naruto woke up with a beam of light hitting his face. The fire was but ash and charcoal now, and his hair just about full of sand. As he dusted the sand from his hair he saw Chiyo sleeping against the wall; rather peacefully. The only problem Naruto noticed was she didn't look like she was breathing.

"Granny Chiyo" Naruto said as he stretched his arms "good morning."

The elderly woman didn't reply or move for that fact. At first Naruto shrugged it off as the old woman needed her sleep. But after he was done stretching he tried greeting her again.

"Good morning Granny Chiyo" as he kneeled next to her.

He put his hand under her nose to see if she was still breathing. Fear and sadness struck him when he didn't feel her breaths on his hand. He wondered when she passed away; was it during the night after he fell asleep, or was it just recently.

"I hope you didn't have any regrets" he said sadly as he sat down next to her.

"I still do" she laughed as she scared the blonde next to her "and I wasn't dead, I was playing dead."

"You have a sick sense of humor Old Lady;" he said as his heart caught back up with him "you know that right?"

Chiyo just laughed; she had been told she's had a sick sense of humor since she was a teenager, but she took it as a compliment every time. Her 'sick sense of humor' had gotten her into just as much trouble as it got her out of.

"I want you to know something, youngster;" Chiyo said as she stopped laughing "I have two major regrets that I know I can't do anything to resolve. It's not the killing others, not poisoning enemies and watching die slowly, not even not being able to save my husband; those were all orders I had to follow as a kunoichi, and my husband was a member of special ops before he died" a tear ran down her face "but rather two things that caused suffering that possibly could never be recovered from."

"What are you talking about Granny Chiyo?"

"The first" as the sadness in her eyes grew "I failed to show love to my grandson. Yes I took care of him for a time before he left, but I was always so busy with missions and everything else I forgot about him a lot. He left Suna many years ago because he couldn't fill the hole that love once filled" anticipating Naruto's question.

"What's the second?"

"I ruined an unborn child's life" looking at what was left of the fire "and took his mother from him. He grew up alone and hated because of something I did; because his father ordered me to do it. I never expected him to be so power hungry; luckily, he stopped walking down that path before Orochimaru approached him with an offer."

Naruto didn't say anything as he got up and walked outside to look at the damage he did the day before. It annoyed him that most of what he did in the sand was gone now because of the wind over night. A sigh escaped him as he saw a small dent in the sand that was swirled on the inside. He looked at his hands and saw that his right hand had burns on them; _'That's weird,'_ he thought _'why aren't these healed yet?'_ The fox didn't respond to his question, just one more thing to add to the list of weird things that was happening to him.

As he picked up a handful of sand, he rubbed the sand between both hands as if he was washing them. The already hot sand tingled as each grain heated the palms of his hands. Each grain that fell from his hands as he rubbed them together blew away in a gentle breeze and was quickly lost sight of.

Naruto continued to look at what he managed to do yesterday and was surprised at what he saw. The face of the cliff that he slammed multiple Rasengan into looked like someone simply carved a spiral into it. It looked the same as when Jiraiya explained the three phases to him, phase one.

"Great" he sighed "I'm starting from square one again. I wonder what other jutsu I've lost the ability to use properly" as he looked at his slightly burnt hand "only one way to find out" as he put his hands together and made a hand sign "Kage Bunshin."

A puff of smoke could be seen as it was heard. When the smoke cleared, a shadow clone stood in its place; only one problem, it collapsed immediately and disappeared. Naruto slammed his fist into the cliff and his pupils tried to turn to slits but kept bouncing back and forth. _'Not only did they lock me up like some damn animal'_ he thought angrily _'but because of those fucking seals and not using chakra at all for a month, all my jutsu are back how they were when I was at the academy. COULD THIS DAY GET ANY WORSE?'_

Chiyo could see how angry the blonde boy was, and also that his pupils were trying to turn into slits. Although it wasn't her place to ask, she couldn't help but to wonder if this was indeed the same boy that beat Gaara. Gaara had told her a little about the one that beat him; such as, after their fight one of the boy's eyes had a slit as a pupil.

Naruto felt a pain in his gut and grabbed at it. He shrugged it off as a normal sign of chakra depletion; he had had the same symptoms before so he knows how they tend to work. It was weird to him though, even when he was training with Jiraiya it took a little more than a three weeks to begin feeling the symptoms.

"Well, well, well" he heard a voice snicker "look who we have here. We came for Temari, but found the Demon of Konoha; the same Demon that killed Orochimaru-sama's new, well, former future vessel."

Naruto looked back and saw the Sound Four standing on the top of a rock. Each of them seemed to have hatred directed at him; nothing new. He could feel anger begin to grow in him; but this time instead of the usual red chakra bubbling up, he grabbed his gut in pain again.

"I'm sure this will more than make up for Sasuke's death" Sakon laughed as he looked at the Jinchuuriki.

"Jiroubou" Kidoumaru asked "could you take care of this; I'm sure you would like to eat after such a long trip."

Jiroubou nodded as he jumped down from the rock and landed at its base. He felt himself sink a little after the impact, but not that much. As he moved towards Naruto, he heard his teammate shout at him.

"Listen you fat fuck" Tayuya snapped "don't be fuckin' retarded and eat all of this prick's chakra. We need the little shit to be alive when we give him to Orochimaru-sama."

"Is that any way for a young lady to talk?" Chiyo asked looking at the red head with the bad mouth.

"Fuck you, you old hag" the red head snapped "you're not my damn grandma; so go fuck whatever old shit of a husband you have."

"Looks like I need to wash your mouth out" as she reached into her robe.

"I'll handle them Granny Chiyo" Naruto said "you just stay low. I promise" as a wind seemed to pick up and spin around him "they won't get near you."

Chiyo began to open her mouth to protest, but she quickly saw the rage in Naruto's eyes. She backed up into the cavern and watched the two that would soon face off stare at each other. _'If this gets out of hand'_ she promised herself _'I'll step in and get him out of there.'_

Naruto stood watching his large opponent as he continued to walk closer to him. Each step the large opponent took to him, made him think of Orochimaru and his smug smile. The one thing Naruto wanted more than to wipe that smug smile off Orochimaru's face was revenge for what he did to Sasuke.

"You won't win" Jiroubou said as he stopped about twenty feet from his blonde opponent "you're weak, even if you have the Kyuubi in you; it won't be enough."

"Quiet fuckin' talkin' and kick his damn ass already" Tayuya snapped.

"Why did you corrupt Sasuke?" Naruto asked with venom in his voice.

"He chose the path that would lead to power" looking at him "just as you chose to kill him. What kind of friend kills because of a path that leads to power?"

Naruto charged at Jiroubou and tried to punch him. His anger made his movements predictable and left many openings. The first thing he felt was a sharp pain in his side as Jiroubou landed a single punch and sent him bouncing on the ground.

"Weakling" he spat.

"I stopped Sasuke from becoming someone like that Snake-teme" as he got up "I did it to save him from becoming his brother."

Jiroubou grabbed Naruto by his hair and began to eat his chakra. Each second he held his hand where it was, Naruto could feel himself get weaker and weaker. His chakra was beginning to be sapped from him.

"You betrayed him" Jiroubou said as Naruto glared at his opponent "he wanted to gain the power to kill his brother, and you took that from him."

Naruto grabbed a kunai from his holster and stabbed his large opponent in the arm with it and freed himself. He quickly regained his footing as his opponent let out a brief cry of pain and pulled out the kunai from his arm. His breathing was already heavy because of chakra loss; _'This is not going to be easy.'_

"Kage Bunshin" as he made the hand sign and two almost perfect clones appeared.

One rushed the brute and kept him busy, barely dodging swings and keeping the glowing blue hands away from him. Eventually though, and much sooner than the real Naruto was hoping, Jiroubou hit the clone and it dispersed in a puff of smoke. Naruto didn't even have time to begin charging a Rasengan before the large opponent's attention was back on him.

"Doton Kekkai: Dorou Doumo" Jiroubou said as chunks of rock shot up from the sand around Naruto and imprisoned him in a make-shift dome.

Naruto just looked into the darkness that surrounded him, he could hear his other clone puff into smoke. It wasn't too different than the position he was in a little over a week ago. Trapped in darkness, looks of no hope of escape; alone. He was never alone, he had Kyuubi to keep him company; right now though, he couldn't hear the Kyuubi if she was speaking to him.

"I can feel my chakra being drained" he said sadly as he put his hand on the wall "but there is a weak spot; just like Haku's house of mirrors. I just need to find it; Kage Bunshin" as he made three almost perfect clones appear.

One clone began to help him charge up a Rasengan as the other two charged up their own. Once one was done it slammed its Rasengan into the side of the dome and listened to the cracking of the rock that surrounded them. The second clone slammed its Rasengan into the opposite side and had the same results; cracking but not destruction. The third clone began to charge up its own Rasengan as the other two puffed out of existence. Once it was done it slammed its Rasengan on the part of the dome they were facing; nothing happened.

Naruto turned around and slammed his overcharged Rasengan into the back of the dome and watched the entire thing crumble around him. His breath became heavy as he was hit with the light of day again. Each ray of light felt good on his already sun burnt face.

Jiroubou quickly snapped Naruto out of his daze with a punch to Naruto's face. He was furious that a 'weakling' found the one weak spot in his jutsu in a few seconds. Even if he could call it luck, it still didn't matter; he was never going to hear the end of it from his female teammate. He continued to pound Naruto to the point where his opponent's eyes were swollen shut.

"I think this is quite enough" Chiyo said as she pulled out a scroll and Black Ant appeared.

She attached chakra threads and began to step out of the cavern. She threw her puppet at the large assailant and managed to pull Naruto back towards her. Each twitch of her fingers caused the puppet to land powerful hits against the sound shinobi.

"Should we kill the old bitch?" Tayuya asked Sakon.

"No" looking at the puppet "our objective was to retrieve and kill Temari of the Sand Siblings. She's not here, and now someone knows we are; so let's get going."

Tayuya pulled out a flute and played a quick piece that sounded like sadness and sorrow. Chiyo quickly saw that the red head was trying to perform a genjutsu and released it from around her. The red head flashed a smug smirk before flipping Chiyo the bird and taking off with the rest of her team.

Chiyo knew that at her age, she wouldn't be able to keep up; so she turned her attention to the blonde that had both his eyes swollen shut. It soon became apparent that the boy was not conscious after his beating. From the looks of it he was in agenizing pain. Unasked questions were quickly answered as she used Black Ant to pick the boy up. _'He's trapped in a genjutsu'_ she thought as she saw Naruto's eyes moving around _'a powerful one.'_

She quickly took off towards Suna with Naruto in Black Ant's chest compartment. The compartment might not have been designed to carry someone in, but it was much easier than carrying the boy herself. Even moving Black Ant with a person in it was easier than trying to carry a boy that weighed more than her.

There were still many questions she needed answered, but her main focus was to get Naruto to a hospital. If this was indeed Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha, why didn't the Kyuubi's chakra bubble around him when he was angry? One question led to many more, and until the blonde could get freed from the genjutsu they would remained unanswered.


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto opened his eyes and was leaning against the side of a building in an alley, watching the front door to an apartment complex. Ever since his fight on the hospital roof he felt his friend had become blinded by a lust for power. It became obvious when Kakashi told Sasuke that the power that he had used in his Chidori wasn't what was meant to be aimed at a friend during a sparring match.

He growled as he thought of the fight, if you could call it that, Sasuke had with his brother. With one hit, Itachi not only deflected the Chidori but broke Sasuke's wrist and kicked him into the wall at the end of the hall. That was the only thing Naruto could think of that would trigger Sasuke's lust for power.

'_You will never be strong enough, little brother. Do you know why? Because you lack the desire for power; but even more so, you lack hate'_ he heard Itachi's voice said to Sasuke in his head.

It was hard to believe that his friend had begun to sink down to the level he was heading to. The lust for power that was in Sasuke's eyes during their fight on the hospital roof was obvious. It was like he was _trying_ to gain some new power that no one else knows about; it was scary.

He heard a door slide open and snapped out of his thoughts. It was Sasuke, and he looked like he was going to leave. The bag on his back looked fully packed with the essentials; clothes, food, water, and weapons.

"Where do you think you're going Sasuke?" Naruto said as he stepped out from his hiding spot.

"Go home Naruto" Sasuke said without looking at his friend "and if you're smart, don't think about coming after me" as he started walking away from the apartment building.

Naruto grabbed his bag, pulled him back towards him and shoved him against the building. Anger was already boiling in his blood; it was visible in his eyes. He knew where Sasuke was going, and knew that he had to stop him.

"You were going to go to that Snake-teme;" Naruto growled as his pupils began to turn into slits "**weren't** you?"

"Stay out of this Naruto" he warned his friend "you have your dream" as he activated his Sharingan "and I have mine. I will kill Itachi; I don't care what it takes."

Naruto threw a punch at Sasuke's face, hoping that the impact would knock some sense into him. Sasuke caught the punch and held it in place; he could see that his friend was serious about stopping him. _'He won't stop me'_ Sasuke thought as he looked at his friend's pupils that were still shifting into slits.

Sasuke kneed Naruto in the gut and punched him in the face. The hit knocked Naruto back a few feet and allowed Sasuke to free himself. However much power he had behind the hit, it didn't seem to bug Naruto at all; his glare returned to the one it was directed at. The two knew that a fight was going to happen, no matter what the other said.

The look in Sasuke's eyes told Naruto everything; he was going to go to Orochimaru. It was like he didn't care that the snake had killed the third Hokage, or even attacked the village. From the look in Sasuke's eyes, it was like he wanted that power; to be able to attack a village without fear of losing. The power gained from doing who knows what to people; then using them like they are meant to be expendable.

"So" Naruto said "you're sure you want to go to that Snake?"

"Positive" as he starred into Naruto's eyes.

Sasuke punched Naruto in the gut and then again in the face. His eyes caught the ripples in his arms and on Naruto's face as the impacts happened. They were sharper now, catching every little detail that happened. _'Almost there'_ he thought as Naruto recovered from the hits quickly.

"I will stop you, Sasuke" Naruto growled "I don't care if I have to break your arms and legs; you're not going to that Snake."

Naruto threw one powerful punch at Sasuke, who dodged and started sprinting towards the main gate. Naruto quickly took pursuit; making clones to help him. The rage began to fill every inch of his body; small amounts of red chakra were visible as he began to gain on Sasuke. The clones quickly attacked Sasuke and tried to detain him, but Sasuke hit one after the other and kept free from their grasps. The real Naruto got ahead of Sasuke and made even more clones, each one joining in the brawl that was in front of them.

Sasuke punched the closest clone in the face and watched it disappear in a puff of smoke. To his surprise, another clone grabbed him around the gut and squeezed tightly. The pressure quickly became uncomfortable; he had to dispel the clone soon or he felt his stomach would rupture from the pressure. He saw a third clone coming in to punch him, so he put his feet forward and pushed off the incoming clone; causing the clone to dispel and push himself onto the one behind him.

He rolled over top of the clone and put a kunai into its gut; solving one small part of his large problem. He kicked back one foot and it landed straight in a clone's crouch; the clone let out a gasp of pain before it puffed out of existence. If he wanted to leave soon, he would have to stop wasting his time with Naruto's clones and knock the real one out. He pushed himself up into the air and quickly made hand signs.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu" he shouted as he launched a fireball at the hoard of clones.

As the fireball reached the herd, several dispelled immediately. Others held on for a short while, but met the same fate as the rest. Sasuke snickered as he focused chakra into the souls of his shoes and landed on the side of a building. Small pots of plants caught fire and burned dimly as the two starred at each other. _'The dead last facing against me, this won't take too long'_ as he charged a Chidori.

Naruto watched as all his clones puffed out of existence. This only made him believe that Sasuke truly meant to leave, at almost any cost. It worried him that his friend was beginning to sink from where he once was. 'The Sole Survivor of the Uchiha Clan Massacre' was willing to stoop to a low level to get revenge against his brother.

"Kage Buunshin" as he made the hand sign and made a clone appear.

He held out his hand and the clone started to make a Rasengan in the real Naruto's palm. The thought of having to fight like this again made him sad, but he had to put that aside; for his friend's sake. _'No matter what'_ he thought _'I can't let him become like his brother. He won't go to Orochimaru.'_

Once the Rasengan was complete, the clone grabbed Naruto's free arm and spun him around. Building momentum to match what Sasuke was bound to have behind his Chidori. Once the clone saw Sasuke start running towards them, he released the real Naruto and dispelled.

Sasuke ran down the side of the building, leaving a trail behind him from the Chidori. The sound of chirping birds rang in his ears even with him moving as fast as possible. Each step taking him closer to Naruto and his Rasengan. While he couldn't see all of his friend's movements perfectly, he could still put him on his ass and leave; however, he was willing to accept killing him if he had to.

Several lights turned on because the sound of birds woke them up. Their eyes widened as they saw Naruto and Sasuke running towards each other with powerful attacks ready to strike. Burning plants lit the path that the two used to rush towards each other, with nothing in between them.

When the two jutsus met, there was a back blast of wind that blew out the flames and cracked windows of buildings on the street. Doors that were poorly secured were either blown open or ripped of the hinges completely as the wind continued. Animals that were walking the street quickly took cover where ever they could. As the jutsus continued to go strong, the ground began to crack and compress around and beneath them.

Naruto watched the chakra spin wildly outwards as the two jutsus collided with each other. The Rasengan held its shape even though the Chidori, having earned the nickname Lighting Cutter because of what Kakashi could do with his, collided with it at full speed. The individual streams looked as if they could slice into stone without a problem.

The anger in Sasuke's eyes grew to hatred as neither jutsu was willing to submit to the other. The same jutsu that had broken through Gaara's 'perfect defense' couldn't beat an unknown jutsu to him. Caught up in his anger he couldn't see what happened next. Both jutsus finally had enough and exploded; sending both participants flying backwards.

Naruto bounced along the ground for tens of meters before he finally rolled to a stop. There was slight discomfort for him as he got up and looked at what the two jutsus had done to the surrounding area. Pot shards were scattered where they once stood in one piece, cracked or shattered windows, and doors ripped from their frames.

Sasuke bounced head over heels as he was thrown back from the explosion. Even though he focused chakra into his feet and tried to skid to a stop, the momentum was too great; but it did begin to slow him down. When his feet finally stuck to the ground, he skid to a halt and looked at the same damage Naruto saw.

People were beginning to come outside to see what was going on to cause such a raucous in the middle of the night. Several had their jaws on the ground at the sight of Naruto who had red chakra swirling around him, blood red eyes with slits for pupils, and his hair and whiskers ruffled, and Sasuke who had what appeared to be tattoos beginning to reach across his face, his Sharingan activated, and purple chakra swirling around him just like Naruto's red chakra.

Sasuke's eyes began to ache as his tomoes shifted over and a third appeared. He could see each little detail on Naruto; each individual hair as it began to ruffle in anger and the truth to his power, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. It quickly dawned on him that that is why the villagers always give him the hateful glares when they see him.

Naruto charged towards Sasuke at full speed with no real plan other than to stop Sasuke. Now, he didn't care what it would take; he was going to stop Sasuke. If the Shinigami were to appear and say he would stop Sasuke for three quarters of Naruto's life span, he'd make the deal. He _had_ to stop him. He put almost all his strength into punches aimed at Sasuke.

Sasuke easily dodged Naruto's barrage of punches, staying on the defensive until he could get his timing right to go offensive. He could see a small trail of red chakra that was left from a punch that he had dodged; faint but still there.

The raw power he could feel coming from the chakra that was wrapping around Naruto reminded him of when they fought Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. That was when he stopped running to survive, and started to fight for his survival. It's also when he was given the mark by Orochimaru, and was nearly blinded by its power after using it only once. If Sakura wouldn't have stopped him from trying to kill the sound-nin that attacked them, he would've joined Orochimaru that day and not cared who said what about him. After that he didn't think he needed the power the mark had to offer. The mark might've tried to convince him otherwise, but he fought it; even when he was about to lose during the Prelims. But after his run in with his brother; he wanted that power and much more.

He dodged another one of Naruto's punches and then returned it with just as much power as he was sure he would've been hit with. The sound of ribs popping could be heard just before a slight grunt of discomfort was let out from Naruto. Now, he had the advantage over Naruto; just like it's always been in their spars. Taking the opening he saw, he kicked Naruto into the air and then roundhouse kicked him towards a small field.

Naruto couldn't believe that, not only did none of his attacks hit but, he had just been launched into the air and was now flying towards an unknown area. Wind screaming past his ears, cold air quickly wrapping around his body, and then pain from hitting tree branches. Small but sharp pain from minor cuts stung, but not that badly.

His ribs and other small injuries had already healed, but it didn't mean the pain was completely gone. The lingering memory pain hurt just as bad as the actual pain that followed the injury that caused it. It was one of those things that wouldn't go away when you wanted it to, like Sakura to Sasuke.

"This is your final chance Naruto" he heard behind him "go home and let me leave."

"**Not a chance"** as he spun around and threw a punch at Sasuke but missed.

Sasuke caught the fist and punched Naruto in the face. He didn't want to go to the level he was going to fight on now, but Naruto was leaving him little choice. If it meant killing his best friend, he'd do it; and gain the Mangekyo.

Naruto flew into a tree from the punch. As he stood up from hitting the tree he felt his back ache in pain; he wasn't expecting the power that he was hit with, it was more than before. Something told him this fight wasn't going to end well for anyone; especially him and Sasuke. The feeling only got worse when he saw Sasuke charging up another Chidori and sprint towards him. The next thing he felt was a sharp pain in his chest next to his shoulder. Sasuke had landed it with the intent to kill. The only reason he missed Naruto's heart was because Naruto had started to fall to the left a little.

A blood curling scream of pain was let loose as Sasuke let the Chidori die down and he pulled his hand out of Naruto's chest. Blood quickly oozed out of the massive wound and onto the ground as Naruto fell to the ground. His breathing became heavy as he began to drown in his own blood.

Sasuke looked at the blood on his hand and puked on the ground. He had seen blood before, but this time it was different; it was his friends. This was something he'd have to live with now; betraying the village he called home, and killing his friend. He got up after puking one more time and started to walk towards the Main Gate to leave, but stopped to puke again. There was no turning back now; no one would understand why he killed an ally and friend. Now he would be labeled as a rogue shinobi.

Cold; that's what Naruto felt as his breath slowly grew shallower and shallower. His own blood was filling his lungs with each breath he took. His vision became blurred as he began to black out. The life he had was nearing its end and there was nothing he could do to stop it. His best friend had just killed him; with friends like that who'd want enemies. The one that he called his rival and trained to be stronger than had betrayed not just him, but the entire village.

The next thing he could see was the cage that kept the Kyuubi within him; the fox looking at him with sad eyes that also held a hint of anger and disappointment. The kit had proven that he was strong on several occasions, but he couldn't defeat a young Uchiha; that was hardly acceptable. Even though she had no real room to lecture the kit, but she did face the strongest of that clan.

'_**I told you this would happen one day; Kit'**_ Kyuubi said to him _**'I've warned you about the Uchihas and you blatantly ignored my warnings. What do you plan on doing now?'**_

She had warned him several times about trusting an _Uchiha_ and trying to not ignore the fact that they're all power hungry. Every one of that clan was no better than the founders of it; power hungry and egotistic. Nothing had changed from when she first saw the clan form under their fan symbol and use the Sharingan for more than interrogating; like it was originally meant to.

'_I need to stop Sasuke'_ Naruto said back to the queen of demons _'even if it means killing him now. Please, help me stop him.'_

A large smile could be seen from the other side of the cage as red chakra flowed towards Naruto and wrapped around him. The Kit had finally figured out that killing was necessary in the Shinobi life style; even if he didn't want to do it.

'_**I'll heal your lung and arm so you can do what is necessary'**_ Kyuubi said in a gentle tone as Naruto faded out of the mindscape.

Sasuke finally stopped puking and stood up. He had done what he felt was necessary to achieve power and now had to live with the decision, but first he had to get out of the village. Chidori isn't a silent jutsu in anyway; people were bound to know where he was now. As he took a step away from his friend's corpse he felt a surge of chakra that he recognized from the Wave Mission.

He turned around to see red chakra spinning around his friend as he slowly got up. The look of raw, unadulterated anger was in Naruto's red, demonic eyes. It was something that no one had ever seen before; yes he had been angry before, but not like this. This showed he was going to kill; no matter what.

"Naruto?" he said in concern as the red chakra continued to engulf his friend.

"**I gave you your chance"** he said back with a dark, demonic tone as the chakra formed two fox ears and a tail **"we're done talking."**

This was a new side of Naruto; he normally tried to talk people out of fighting, even when it was pointless. Now not only was he was accepting a fight, he was not going to try to talk him out of going to Orochimaru. It was now going to be all or nothing.

Naruto vanished and reappeared next to Sasuke. The speed he used was unreal, his Sharingan couldn't keep up with it; not even Lee was that fast. If Sharingan couldn't keep up with him, the fight was bound to end with his defeat. It was simple; only one of them would survive the fight, the other would be killed.

He didn't care how much power was put into the hit as he watched Sasuke fly through the air and slam into a building. He had given him multiple options to stop trying to leave, and then Sasuke confirmed that he was going to leave no matter what by planting the Chidori in his chest. The ability to let it slide had been painfully removed from his mind; now he was going to kill his friend to protect him.

He walked over to Sasuke, who was coughing up blood from the impact against the building's wall. Each step caused a slight burn mark to appear on the ground. Anger and rage was all he felt towards his 'friend' and towards the ones that caused him to sink so low.

Sasuke lay on the ground, coughing up large amounts of blood. The last thing he was expecting was the strength he was hit with. It wasn't like Naruto to use that much of it against a comrade let alone a friend. He looked up to see Naruto walking towards him, the red chakra tail swaying behind him in a way that showed he was pissed. Fear was all he felt as Naruto drew closer and closer with a look that said he was out for blood. It was painfully clear that whoever was in control of Naruto's body was going to kill him. It was in his eyes; his red demonic eyes. _'Is the Kyuubi taking over him?'_

Before he could move, a large red arm smashed against him and sent him flying into the middle of a street. When he looked up he could see the gate; he was this close but that far away. Naruto appeared in front of him and knocked him to the ground with a single punch to the gut. People began to gather around as Naruto stepped closer to Sasuke and forced him to the ground again. He wasn't going to let him get up at all because that would let him use Sharingan against him.

"WHY ARE YOU IN MY WAY NARUTO?" Sasuke managed to shout as his face was pushed into the ground.

Naruto didn't say anything as he stomped on Sasuke's legs and broke them. The sound of bones snapping could be heard through the large crowd that was around them. Sasuke let out an agonizing scream of pain as he felt his bones break. For some it was too much, and they had hurled.

"**Now you can't leave"** Naruto snarled at him **"and remember that if you even try to leave again, I will kill you."**

"No" Sasuke said as he reached out with his arm to pull himself closer to the gate "I… will… have… power… I… will… kill… Itachi…" as he dragged himself closer.

"**Then"** as tears rolled down his face **"I'm sorry."**

Naruto held out his hand and made a Rasengan. The typhoon sphere swirled powerfully as it formed in his hand. He knew what had to be done now; Sasuke had to die, for his own safety. He didn't even look into the crowd as he aimed the Rasengan over Sasuke's neck and slammed it down.

Each vertebrate in his neck snapped multiple times as the jutsu made contact. He could feel his skin twisting and morphing as the sphere was continued to be pushed into his neck. For that brief moment, his life flashed before his eyes. Every detail of the Massacre he had to relive, again. As his vision went dark, he knew he had failed.

His body fell limp onto the ground as silence was held within the crowd. The last Uchiha in the village had been killed; they all knew it. What only made it worse was the fact that it was by 'The Demon of Konoha's' hand.

Naruto looked at his dead friend and reached out to him; gently placing his hand on his shoulder to flip him over. As he did, he could see the look of pain that was left on the corpse's face. Pain that had been caused by his hand, his power, and by his own free will.

Tears ran down Naruto's face as he used his free hand to close Sasuke's eyes; the chakra burned the Sharingan out of his sockets for some reason. The Demon Cloak began to recede as he pulled the corpse closer to his body and let out a scream of anger, regret, and sorrow. His best friend was dead because of him.

"SASUKE" he shouted to the sky as mummers began in the crowd.

He knew what they wanted to do; they wanted to attack and kill him. He had just killed Sasuke with the Kyuubi's help; in their eyes he had proven he was the Kyuubi that was sealed within him. The vessel was actually the demon; it was once a lie that was now looking more like the truth.

Tears continued to roll down his face as the cloak finally receded completely. He felt sick to his stomach; the blood that was on his ruined clothes was his friends, and he caused the bloodshed. Nothing could change it, not even Tsunade.

"KILL THE DEMON" he heard as he looked at the large crowd that had hateful looks directed at him. He quickly started to run. It was the only thing he could do.

-in the hospital-

Temari was running through the halls to find Naruto's room. Saying she was worried that something had happened to Naruto would be an understatement. She was terrified. For Naruto to be put in a hospital was almost the same as having to put Gaara in one. That was something that had only happened once, but that was merely because of chakra exhaustion.

She threw the door open and saw Naruto. Tears rolled down her face when she saw how bad of a condition he was in. Both his eyes were swollen shut, his chest was wrapped up suggesting that he had several busted ribs, and all the tubes connected to him. It took all her strength to keep from collapsing to the ground from disbelief about what she was seeing. Naruto, the only person that didn't care who she was related to, was looking like he was on the fine line between life and death.

"Naruto-kun" she said with fear as she slowly walked over to him and took a better look at him; which was something she regretted.

He didn't look any better up close. She could see all the individual bruises on his face from being hit repeatedly and brutally.

"He's trapped in a Genjutsu" an older voice said to her "other than that, I really can't say what's keeping him how he is right now."

"Chiyo-baasama" Temari said as she tried to wipe the tears from her face.

"Don't hide your concern from an old woman like me" she said as she walked over to Temari "I know you care about him; you called him kun."

Temari only nodded as she grabbed Naruto's hand. She could feel small burn marks on his palm where he had used Rasengan so much. It only added to her fear.

"Four members of the Sound showed up" Chiyo said "looking for you. I'm not sure why he fought them, but they were too strong for him."

-Naruto's mind-

'_What's going on?'_ Naruto thought as he opened his eyes to see that he was standing where he was when he was waiting for Sasuke _'this already happened. Why am I reliving this?'_

-real world-

Chiyo was examining Naruto for any additional injuries that could've been missed. The boy might've been foolish by fighting when he was low on chakra, but she could see anger and hate in his eyes. That anger and hate was the same that Gaara held for a long time; up till the Chunin Exams. It was a look that seemed to be common amongst the Jinchuuriki; probably because many view them as mere weapons instead of people.

As she continued her exam, she found something that surprised her completely. Seals had been placed on the blond Jinchuuriki's Tenketsu; a surprising number of them. His chakra had been limited by outside means; not just overuse. That's not what shocked her though; it was the fact that they remained invisible to the naked eye unless chakra was being used, like it was now.

"Why would someone limit this boy's chakra" she asked out loud "they put him in danger by doing so. Konoha must truly want him to die if they left so many seals on him" as she pulled out a small bag and opened it "but they shouldn't be any trouble for me to remove."

Anger filled Temari when she heard that Konoha put the seals on and didn't remove them. After everything he had done for them, they still wanted him to die because he is a vessel of a Bijuu. Now she was most definitely going to pound the next Leaf Shinobi she saw; regardless of whom it may be, even if it was the Hokage. They had put the seals on him when he was captured and didn't remove them before sending him to Suna.

She tightly gripped Naruto's hand as she watched Chiyo begin to make the necessary seals to remove the ones on his body. He had barely survived the fight with the Sound shinobi and now knew the reason. If it weren't for Chiyo being there, Naruto could've been killed; then she'd be alone, again.

The Elder saw this and understood how it felt to be in this position. She remembers all too well when she was waiting for word of the condition of her son during the Second Shinobi War. Not knowing if he's going to make it or not; this time was different though, she had the skills to help the boy survive.

"He's going to be alright" Chiyo said to Temari.

"Is it that obvious?" as she rubbed Naruto's cheek.

"Hai" as she placed a piece of parchment on one of the seals "I hope I'm still as good as I was back in the day" as she made a few hand signs and watched the paper become flush against Naruto's skin.

Once it was flush against his skin, the seal drawn on it faded and then reappeared. Chiyo lifted the parchment and saw that the seal that was once on Naruto's skin was now on the opposite side of the parchment. She looked at Temari and smiled; she still had the skill necessary to remove the seals from Naruto.

The door suddenly slid open; a very angry Gaara was standing on the other side of it. He heard via messenger that Naruto was attacked by Sound Shinobi. The anger he was feeling was visible in his eyes; the messenger found out firsthand how angry he is.

"Chiyo-baasama" he said in as calm a voice he could manage "can you heal him?"

"One step at a time" the Elder said to him "Kazekage-sama. First I need to get these seals off him" as she prepared another parchment.

This was something that would take a great deal of time. She'd have to be careful to make sure none of the seals were different than the first one she removed from the boy; otherwise it could make the seal stronger rather than lifting it.

-Kyuubi-

The Demoness sat in her cage; more like pounding at the bars to get her chakra through to her Kit. The Genjutsu he was trapped in was not a normal one by any means. Whatever the red-haired kunoichi did; it was not something she liked. She couldn't even speak to the Kit; however, she didn't believe the red-head was responsible for that one.

"**That damned village truly doesn't understand his pain"** she said with a sad tone as she began to give up on breaking through the bars **"they only wish to see him dead for something I did. Those bastards will pay."**

She felt a very faint increase in the Kit's chakra; faint, but noticeable to her senses. Someone on the outside was lifting what had limited her Kit's chakra. It was going to take a while but eventually whatever was keeping her from actually speaking with her Kit face to face, so to speak, would eventually be lifted. Then she'd be able to heal him properly; until then though, she was stuck with a slightly faster than normal healing for her Kit.

She let out a small sigh of relief as she felt another increase in the Kit's chakra. Silently she swore to thank whoever was helping Naruto.

"**I hope I can get through to him before it's too late"** she said softly as she took a deep breath and focused her chakra through the bars of her cage.

She had a plan to break the Genjutsu, but it was going to take a lot out of her. She needed to make Naruto sense what was real and what was the illusion. Forcing his sense to shift from the illusion to reality was bound to do the trick; she had done it before to free his mother from a Genjutsu once before, but that was a long time ago.

The red chakra flowed out of the cage and up the walls to large pipes that were allowing their chakras to mix together. Just the first step to making the Kit's senses come back to reality. The next steps could take hours in reality, but in Naruto's mind it would feel like a year; especially when she knew how much chakra she'd be using. It took two tails worth to break Kushina free from the Genjutsu she was trapped in all those years ago; who knew how much she'd have to use now.

-Naruto-

He watched as the Chidori and Rasengan collided, again, and sent streams of spinning chakra outwards, causing the same damage as before. He knew something was up now, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. This was the third time he's done this same thing; nothing different in any way. He couldn't control his body at all, it acted on its own and fought Sasuke.

'_Why is this happening?'_ he asked himself as the Chidori and Rasengan exploded.

He noticed a new scent; something that was completely different than the other times. The smell of desert flowers. It was familiar to him; he just couldn't put a name with it. He saw a purple chakra swirling around Sasuke as his body charged towards the Uchiha. The scent was still there, lingering in his nose. A name was on the tip of his tongue; but he lost it when he was kicked with great force.

-Kyuubi-

She smashed her massive paw against the bars of her prison. She had just about had Naruto's sense of smell where it needed to be for him to be able to tell he was in a Genjutsu when it suddenly got a little stronger. It took a full tail's worth of her chakra to get his sense of smell, just his smell, to how it would be outside of the Genjutsu. Now she was tapping into her second tail; something that she hadn't done in well over two decades.

She was so close to breaking the Genjutsu using her Kit's body and her own chakra too. Right there, she was right there when it got stronger.

"**He can break it"** she reassured herself **"he's strong."**

-Chiyo-

She had just finished with half of the seals on Naruto's Tenketsu when she noticed another seal; one that was completely new to her.

"Temari" she said "was this seal here before?" pointing at the seal on Naruto's stomach.

Temari looked at the seal with worried eyes.

"Not the five elemental symbols" as she gripped Naruto's hand even tighter.

Chiyo was afraid of that. Not only did she not recognize the seal, but it remained hidden rather well. She knew that it was most likely placed to keep the boy separated from the Bijuu sealed within him. The only question was; did he want it put on him, or was it put on him by force?


	6. Chapter 6

It was a quiet evening; a cool breeze blew across Konoha. Those that remained of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai, minus Lee and Hinata, sat in a restaurant waiting on their meals. Drinks had been served and were enjoying the down time that they had before any new missions came up for them to go on. Mission work load seemed to increase on the teams now, but that was to be expected now that they were one team short. Nothing really exciting had happened in the past week and a half. Just an escort mission led by Shikamaru, a reconnaissance mission for Team Gai, and training for team eight and the new team ten.

Choji often complained about being on the same team as both Ino and Sakura; who were often at each others' throats. The two completely lacked the ability to work together; not to mention that the original team's formation was now useless. That formation was their main strength and without Shikamaru they were sure to be royally screwed if they came across enemy forces.

"Hey, Shika" Choji said quietly "do you think you could possibly get me outa this mess? I don't like being on the same team as them."

"Troublesome" the shadow user sighed "but I know how you feel" as he looked at the two girls "wish I could though."

The table suddenly scrapped against the floor and a few drinks fell over. The once white table cloth was now tie-died sever different colors from the drinks. Shikamaru and Shino looked at the mess; both of them thinking along the same lines about it.

"I am soo sorry" the waitress said as she tried to wipe up as much of the drinks as she could "I'll bring more out for you."

"May I get me order to go please?" Shino asked.

"Same here" Shikamaru said.

Everyone just looked at Shino and Shikamaru. No one was expecting them to leave.

"My dad wanted me to pick some things up for him so mom won't fuss at him;" Shikamaru explained "I swear that woman has him whipped. Troublesome woman" as he rubbed his shoulder.

"There is also something I just remembered I must attend with my family or face consequences" Shino said in a calm monotone "I'm sorry for accepting your invitation to have dinner with all of you and having to leave like this. I forgot I had this to attend."

Sakura and Ino didn't have a hard time believing them; Shikamaru was always going on about how his mom had 'whipped' his dad and she was in the process of trying to do the same thing to him. Shino's family was… well they were Shino's family; not much was known about them other than the fact that they tame insects. So him having something that he forgot about, while unusual, wasn't too surprising.

Their food and drinks came quickly and Shikamaru and Shino left after saying goodbye. Shikamaru looked at the bug tamer out of the corner of his eye as they walked out of the restaurant. He couldn't figure out if Shino had just completely bull shitted his way out of that. Everyone was normally pretty easy to figure out, but Shino was by far the biggest mystery out of the group.

"Is there something on your mind Nara-san?" Shino asked in a calm voice.

"Just can't figure out if you lied your ass off back there," he sighed "normally I wouldn't care, but you're just too hard to figure out. So it's gonna bug me till I know."

"I didn't lie" as they took a turn. They both were going the same direction; Ichiraku's Ramen Bar, where Lee and Hinata were most likely at. "I do have something I must attend to tonight, but it is not until later. So the proper phrase would be, I stretched the truth."

-Suna-

Temari was close to passing out as she sat in her chair next to Naruto. His eyes were still swollen shut, so she couldn't tell if he had woken up at all yet. It bothered her that she couldn't tell if he had broken the Genjutsu he was trapped in or not. If he had, he couldn't open his eyes to see her; but if he did, he would have said something to her by now. There was no mistaking it; he was still trapped.

She really felt like she should've seen this coming. Often when a serious of good fortune happens, there is a repercussion of misfortune that comes with it. Naruto had saved her brother from the Shukaku, gave her high praises, helped her open her heart, and gave her her first kiss. Then this happened; shinobi of Sound attacked. If that wasn't bad enough, Chiyo had told her that they were looking for her, but when they found Naruto there instead they changed plans to take him to the Snake-teme that killed the Kazekage before Gaara.

She could never call the Yondaime Kazekage 'father'; not after what he did to the village, her brother, and herself. The training she went through would've broken or killed anyone that wasn't strong enough. More than often it did. Many civilians in the village are wash outs from the Yondaime's 'training'. Either they were injured to the point where they couldn't be Shinobi, mentally shattered, or died from chakra exhaustion. How everyone in her family survived was a mystery.

It wasn't till her trip to Konoha for the Chunin Exams that she saw where true strength comes from. The bonds formed within the village and friendships that are formed between the Shinobi. That strength is what Naruto had shown her; as well as Gaara. Ever since that fight Gaara had been trying to understand what it is like to have a bond worth dying to protect. Immediately after they returned to the Suna, Gaara wanted to get to know his brother and sister better.

She had often asked him what had changed; they were still the same family, but better since their father had been found dead. Gaara would only say that he 'wants something to truly fight for'. At first she thought he was messing around, but he wasn't like that; while hesitant she still gave it a shot. Her youngest brother was finally opening up, little by little but it was better than before.

"You should go home and get some sleep" Gaara said to her seeing how tired she looked.

There was really no point in her going home; she wouldn't get any sleep. She was too worried about Naruto.

"I can sleep here" she protested calmly "besides" looking at the blond boy "I don't think I'd be able to."

Gaara looked at his fellow Bijuu vessel; while he was concerned, he knew that the boy could pull through. If there was one thing that Naruto was good at; it was surprising people. He beat the Hyuga prodigy in a Taijutsu fight; something that the Hyuga excel at with their Gentle Fist style. If that wasn't enough though, he had enough chakra left over to fight against him and win. This boy had done nothing but try to get everyone to look at him as a human; and not as the Bijuu sealed within.

It was because no one looked at him as a human that Gaara began to lose himself to the Shukaku. Yes, there are still those that still look at him as a Jinchuuriki and the Shukaku, but that number was slowly decreasing. He had proved to many that he was indeed a human; it was difficult, but he was doing it. It started with him going to every family that was a victim to him while he was letting his actions be influenced by the Shukaku and apologize. Offering to make amice in any way possible.

He had spent the money he had saved up from all the missions he did to buy flowers, which he learned was a way to honor the dead from his sister, and took them to where he had killed someone. He had plenty of money, having the Shukaku protect him with the sand meant no hospital bills, and being able to use the sand as shuriken and kunai meant not having to by them. The only thing he cared about was proving to those around him, the Shukaku, and himself that he was not a demon.

"What do you think he's seeing in the genjutsu?" Gaara asked as he saw Naruto's eyes moving.

-Kyuubi-

She was now tapping into her third tail's worth of chakra, and knew that there was a seal keeping them separated. Whoever lifted all the other seals obviously wasn't skilled enough to remove what was keeping her separated from her Kit. Either way though, she was thankful that at least that much was done. Now she didn't have to use as much chakra to open up Naruto's Tenketsu by force; which could've cause serious harm to him if she had tried to open them too much.

She was close to showing her Kit that he was trapped in a genjutsu. Making his sense of touch switch from illusion to reality was taking a lot of chakra from her; his sense of smell wasn't too hard because she had already heightened it, so just a little tinkering allowed her to make that switch. Switching his sense of touch was taking more time and chakra because of what all is affected by the sense. Every inch of skin, muscle, organs, bone, tendons, everything about the body is connected to the sense.

She had no idea what was going on in the genjutsu that her Kit was trapped in, but she could feel emotional anguish coming from him every now and then. Whatever it was, he was watching it repeatedly, while she doesn't like to use the word; someone was fucking with him, she knew it. There will be hell to pay once this is broken, she'd make sure of it; how she wished she could be summoned to the outside world to explain what she was doing to get help.

She was even concerning asking that bastard raccoon for assistance if it were possible; something she had never done before. The reason for that is because the former monk had tried to make a move on her several times. He was a disgusting creature that couldn't keep it in his robes. Even Nibi agreed with her on that one; and the feline had slept with the monk once, and only once.

"**Just a little more"** she panted as she started on her fourth tail of chakra.

Something was making it far harder for her to fuse her chakra with her Kit's. It was irritating beyond reason. Not only did she have to use chakra to make Naruto's senses realize what's fake and what's not, but she had to use even more to get past whatever was blocking her chakra.

-Naruto-

His Rasengan collided with Sasuke's Chidori again; with the same thing happening. Only this time, something was different; he couldn't feel the blast of air that he knew was wrapping around him. After the two jutsu exploded against each other and he was thrown back, he didn't feel the ground beneath him; only softness against his back. Something was happening to him, and he didn't like it at all.

'_There's that scent again'_ as he smelled desert flowers again.

He couldn't help but to wonder where it was coming from; he was in Konoha after all. So desert flowers were pretty hard to get.

-Tayuya-

The red head was patting heavily from chakra depletion. Keeping that little blond fucker, as she now calls Naruto, in a genjutsu from a distance like this was hard on her. And to make things worse, someone was trying to break it. So not only was she using chakra to keep him in the genjutsu, she was also trying to keep someone from breaking it. It was not an easy feat.

Sure she could just let the genjutsu fall, but then the fucker would end up running his mouth and screwing Sound over with a war. Orochimaru would not be amused with that at all. Her only option was to fight to keep the jutsu in place till the Snake Sannin could be informed and come up with a plan to fix this issue.

What only made matters even worse was that her fat-ass team mate wouldn't shut the hell up about wanting to kill the blond boy that broke his Doro Doumu. She would be able to focus more on keeping the little blond fucker in the genjutsu if the fat ass would just shut up. She'd never say it out loud, but she was starting to wonder what her life would have been like if she had refused Orochimaru's offer.

-Kyuubi-

She was now very close to getting her Kit to break the jutsu he was trapped in. But in order for that to happen, Naruto would need to release it himself; she couldn't do that for him. Especially not with how much chakra she had just used; nearly six tails worth. The strain she was putting on herself was not good; more so considering she hasn't actually used her chakra in over two decades and actually trained with it in over a century.

If she kept pushing herself she would harm her Kit's body with her chakra. So she opted to stop for now; after all, there wasn't much she could do now. The only option left was waiting for her; wait for the blond that was her jailer to break the jutsu on his own. Till then, she had to rest; who knew how long it would take her to get all that chakra back.

'_**A long nap does sound good'**_ she tried to convince herself as she laid her head over her paws and closed her eyes.

-Naruto-

He was seeing everything perfectly, but wasn't feeling any of the hits he was receiving; or giving for that fact. He knew he was throwing punches that he should feel in his knuckles, but he wasn't. Also, he was having issues hearing things; only loud explosions and screams/yells, even then though they were hard to make out.

Again, he smelled desert flowers. He had a name on the tip of his tongue, but it wouldn't come to him. No pain from hits where he knew pain should be, softness against his back, and that heavenly scent of desert flowers. Things just weren't adding up at all. He was in the middle of a serious fight with his best friend; he should be feeling pain, not softness.

-Temari-

Physically she wanted to pass out, but mentally she was too worried about Naruto. The blond had found his way to her heart in just one day. While she wanted to question how that was possible, she knew that in reality it was longer than that. It was first during the Chunin Exams when he spoke up against Ibiki about the final question. The knucklehead did something she didn't think was possible; he brought confidence to everyone taking the exam.

The next thing was when he fought that Inuzuka boy. Taking hit after hit and still getting up; even using his Kage Buunshin to trick the dog boy and then biting his arm. Unorthodox but it worked. If that wasn't enough, he even took several of the Inuzuka clan's jutsu and still managed to get up despite the amount of damage it did to the blond boy. Yet the blond won; with a combo he called Uzumaki Naruto Rendan. Something that looked like it could've been made last minute, but could also pass as if it were actually practiced.

Being completely honest with herself, she didn't expect the hyperactive boy to last very long. She had done a little research on clans in Konoha before the exam and knew about the Inuzuka. Their Taijutsu was a clan form, just like the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist, that worked best with both the user and its k-nine counterpart. And with Naruto not coming from any sort of clan, she really expected it to be just as the Inuzuka thought at first; a one-hit K.O.

Now with her being from Suna, that victory definitely got him brownie points. In Suna, many problems were solved with a fight; most of the time it was all out too. More than often, guys would literally fight over girls and vice versa. Given she had never had that problem, but she really didn't care at the time. She was a kunoichi and thought she didn't have time to 'waste' on a boyfriend or friends; clearly the Yondaime Kazekage's messed up mind set.

What truly got her attention though was when he faced against Gaara while the Shukaku was trying to take over. He was willing to die to protect someone; that was a strength not seen in Suna very often. There was no sense of camaraderie in Suna; only fighting for what is believed to be yours. Looking at it now, she understands that Suna shinobi are weak and why Konoha shinobi are so strong; they'd die to protect their comrades.

'_Perhaps he can change that'_ she thought as she rubbed his whiskers.

"Naruto-kun" she whispered into his ear.

-Naruto-

He felt something rubbing against his cheek; he just brushed it off. He was still trying to make sense of why he wasn't feeling pain; while fighting Sasuke. It didn't make any sense at all; physically he felt fine, a little sore around the eyes, but fine nonetheless. He made a clone and started to make a Rasengan to match Sasuke's Chidori. Then he heard his name; from a familiar voice.

"Temari-chan" he suddenly realized.

He finally put everything together; he was stuck in a genjutsu of some sort. He remembered a flute being played before he completely blacked out after being pounded by a big guy from Sound. Nothing he was seeing was actually happening; how could it, he had killed Sasuke six weeks ago. Now it was making sense; why it seemed like he was reliving a memory, because he was. Somehow that red-heads genjutsu was making him relive his fight with Sasuke.

He dispersed his clone and stood there as Sasuke charged towards him with a fully charged Chidori. It was risky, but maybe he could break the genjutsu by doing something different instead of doing like he's been doing. Instead of fighting, allow an injury to happen. The Chidori slammed into his chest and he didn't feel anything; not blood, not heat, not cold, not even a surge of chakra being forced into his system. He wrapped his arms around the illusion of his friend and whispered;

"I'm sorry, Sasuke;" as he made the sheep hand seal "Kai."

'Sasuke' started to fade from existence and the 'village' around him warped and distorted itself before finally fading.

-Tayuya-

"That cock sucking fucking little BITCH" the red head swore loudly.

They had just returned to Orochimaru's base when suddenly her flute shattered in her hands. How was a complete mystery, but she knew that the little blond fucker had something to do with it.

"Did Karin put one of your bras in the freezer again?" Kidoumaru asked his team mate in a joking tone.

Her response was throwing the three pieces of her flute at the six armed boy and causing them to impale his shoulder and two arms. The red-head was fuming with anger; no one had ever broken her strongest genjutsu before. She was going to pound that blond fucker into the ground next time she saw him.

-Suna Hospital-

Naruto tried to open his eyes, but they were still swollen pretty badly; so he settled for just keeping them closed. The sharp pain still lingered all through his body; he was starting to remember how he winded up so injured. The Sound Four showed up while he was trying to get everything out of his system. He fought one of them and got his ass handed to him. They also wanted to take him to that Snake-teme.

He smelled the sterilizing liquid that the hospital used and couldn't help but to wonder how he got there. The last thing he remembered was fighting that big guy from the Sound Four and blacking out. Someone had to have carried him to the hospital; there were still a few blanks in his memory from being hit so hard.

He felt his stomach growl; the last thing he had was that horned lizard that the old woman tricked him into eating. The old woman… Chiyo… he remembered her name, she had pulled him into the little cavern at Temari's training area and was about to fight one of the Sound Four because of her mouth. That's when he started to fight the larger opponent; he promised that Chiyo wouldn't get hurt by them. The red-head with the foul mouth; he started to remember the flute he heard. She had a flute and most likely the skill to trap him in a genjutsu.

He balled his fist up and felt something in it; he took a deep breath and smiled. It was Temari's hand in his; a small tear rolled down his face. Someone cared about his well being, like he was human; the only problem was he didn't feel like he was human. He killed his best friend; what kind of human would do that?

He felt a soft hand wipe the tear from his face; most likely Temari's. Memories of how kindly she had been treating him came to him. The blonde Suna kunoichi had taken him into her apartment despite the fact that he was a Demon. She was helping him to adapt to a life in the sand village; starting with helping him find proper clothes.

"Temari-chan" he said softly as he rolled his head towards her.

Temari's eyes widened; Naruto was awake now. And if that wasn't enough, he called her chan; something that only Kankuro had ever called her, and that was only after the Chunin Exams. She felt like breaking down into tears right then; not caring how 'weak' it would make her look. The one she cared for was alright; aside from his physical injuries.

"Naruto-kun?" she said gently.

"Can you help me up?"

Temari gently helped him sit up right, and pulled his legs over the side of the bed. He might've been up, but he was still in no condition to move around on his own. She made sure to stay close enough to force him back on the bed if he tried to get up. It was a good thing too; he tried to stand up on his own for some reason and nearly lost his balance. Luckily she caught him before he started to fall; even if she didn't though, Gaara was right there with his sand ready to.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped at him as she forced him back on the bed "you just woke up and you're trying to walk around?"

Naruto barely managed to open his swollen eyes and look at the blonde kunoichi. While she looked upset, she also looked very concerned for him. But he had learned a lesson in trusting concerned looking eyes from Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi 'helped' him get away from the mob, but tried to kill him herself while he had his back turned to her. He couldn't believe he once thought he loved her.

"I was just gonna go to the bathroom" as he looked towards the opened bathroom door.

It was a good thing his eyes were as swollen as they were, otherwise Temari would've seen the uneasiness in them when he was talking. Why he didn't feel this way when he first woke up in her apartment was a mystery.

"I'll help him" Gaara said as he put Naruto's arm over his shoulder and led him to the bathroom.

Gaara could tell something was wrong with his friend. He was worse now than he was when he first showed up in Suna about a week ago. He was going to get his fellow Bijuu vessel to talk about it; it worked for him after all. After he started building a bond with his brother and sister he told them how he felt about being looked at as the Shukaku within him. While he didn't break down into tears like his sister was after he got done telling them, it still hurt him on the inside. But afterwards, he did feel better.

Once in the bathroom he set Naruto down on the toilet and stood outside the door. He wanted to wait till his sister left before he talked with his friend. There were bound to be things he didn't want his sister to know that would come to the surface. What; was the only question. And that question brought a slight sense of despair to him.

He could see that his friend was now uneasy about trusting his sister. There was now a list of questions he wanted answers to. Many of these questions could expose the true reason he was in Suna now. He wanted to help his friend find happiness; just as he had done for him.

"Why don't you go back to your apartment and get some sleep" Gaara suggested to his sister "I can stay here and make sure he's okay."

Temari didn't argue with her brother; she knew it would be pointless to do so. So she got up and walked out of the room to go back to her apartment and try to get some sleep.

Gaara waited for a few seconds before speaking. He wanted to make sure that his sister couldn't hear them when they had their conversation.

"Why were you uneasy about my Onee-san being concerned about you?" he asked Naruto from where he was standing.

"I don't wanna talk about it" Naruto said as he flushed the toilet.

Gaara used his sand to creep beneath the door and pin Naruto against the wall. He didn't struggle, because he knew it would be pointless. If Gaara wanted to kill him, he wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Listen and listen well" Gaara said in a dark tone "Uzumaki Naruto" as he opened the door and walked up to the blond "she has done nothing but worry about you since you came in this morning. She refused to eat, or even leave your side. You are the only one she has ever opened up to and that in its self is a sign that she has feelings for you."

"Last time I thought someone had feelings for me I got a kunai in my back" he stated bluntly "if my own teammate would betray me, what's to stop her from doing the same thing?"

Gaara's temper was beginning to flare up.

"Do you think that she would've offered to let you stay in her apartment if she was planning on killing you?" the kage asked "Do you think I would've had to restrain her when I told her about where you were for the month before you showed up if she didn't care about you? Do you think that she would've gotten into fights when someone called me a demon if she saw me as one; saw you as one?"

Naruto took those questions in as Gaara slowly put his sand back into the gourd on his back. It was true that if she didn't care she wouldn't have let him stay with her. She wouldn't have had to be restrained by Gaara if she didn't care about him. And she sure as hell wouldn't have gotten into fights when someone called Gaara a demon if she viewed him as one.

"If you care about her;" Gaara said in a calmer tone "you'd tell her everything that happened. From your fight, to the time you left Konoha. She cares about you Naruto. And one more thing" as he looked back to Naruto "a demon wouldn't regret killing someone; trust me, I was once like that" as he walked out of the room.

With that the kage left. Leaving Naruto in the bathroom to think about his words.

-Morning-

Naruto lay in bed; he really couldn't sleep much during the night. He had too many things on his mind. Gaara had made a good point about Temari caring about him; but he couldn't bring himself to talk about everything that happened after the fight with Sasuke. Sakura's betrayal stung worse than any insect could ever hope to. She used his affection for her to get him alone so she could kill him herself. If he hadn't had been borrowing the Kyuubi's chakra at the time, she might have succeeded in her plot.

As the sun hit his eyes, he rolled over to shield himself from the invading light. He didn't feel ready for the day to be here; all he wanted to do was find a hole somewhere so no one could find him. That's what he did in Konoha when the mobs were chasing after him. Luckily that hole happened to be an entrance to a honeycomb of tunnels inside the Hokage Monument.

"Naruto-kun" he heard Temari at the door as she knocked gently "can I come in?"

"Yeah" as he rolled back over and sat up.

When Temari opened the door, she was surprised to see that his eyes were almost back to normal. She could see his blue eyes that were once bright, but now held a sad look in them and dimmed the brightness that they once held.

'_The Kyuubi must have been healing him during the night'_ she thought as she took off her fan and placed it in the corner near the door.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she sat next to him.

It was a stupid question; the pain was clear on his face, but she had to ask something to keep from breaking down and crying as she clung onto him and would refuse to let go. The blond boy had done so much for her she didn't know if she'd ever be able to repay him.

"Sore, but it's nothing I can't just walk off" without looking at her.

He wanted to break down into tears and tell her everything. Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it. If he did, she could easily use his feelings against him to hurt him. He knew she wouldn't do that though, she was different than Sakura; in a lot of areas, mainly physical appeal.

"Do you want to get some ramen;" she asked him "or go for a walk through the courtyard?"

"Can I tell you something?" Naruto asked cautiously.

"Of course" as she readjusted herself so she could hear everything he was going to say.

She already knew about what got him banished, and the month after that before he came to Suna. Even so, there were still several missing pieces of information that she didn't have.

"After my fight with Sasuke" he started "no one would look at me as a human. They wouldn't listen to me when I told them that Sasuke was going to leave and join that Snake-teme. All they tried to do was kill me; they chased me all through Konoha and no matter how many Kage Buunshin I made, they always found the real me. I thought I was safe when Sakura waved at me and signaled me to go over to her. The mob ran past the opening and I thought it was finally over.

But then I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. Sakura had stabbed me with a kunai and called me a demon" tears started to roll down his face "my own teammate even saw me as something I'm not. After everything I did to show her how I felt about her, she showed me that she was no better than the rest of the village. She betrayed me because I protected Sasuke from sinking to that Snake's level. She used my trust in her to try to kill me."

Temari wanted to shout in anger and storm to Konoha and kill that pink haired bitch. The only thing that was stopping her was the fact that Naruto needed her here. Now she understood why he seemed a little off before she left; he was questioning if he could actually trust her or not. She wrapped her arms around Naruto and pulled him close.

"I would never betray your trust Naruto-kun" she whispered into his ear "I promise."

Temari pulled her legs up onto the bed and forced Naruto to lie down on the bed. Naruto could feel the warmth coming from her, his tears began to speed up. She cared for him and wouldn't even dream of hurting him like Konoha did; and he knew it. The look in her eyes as she straddled him and looked him in the eyes was gentle and caring.

She cupped his cheek and gently rubbed his whiskers with her thumb. She was starting to like the slight animal look that they gave him; enough to show he's more than he looks, but also let him look like what he is, a human. Many might look at Jinchuuriki as if they were the demon sealed within them, but she was not in that majority. She was a part of the minority that understood the burden that the humans carried on top of the Bijuu within them; and Naruto was no different.

The burden he carried was probably heavier than any other vessel's. He contained the very demon that tried to destroy the village he was born in; and was shunned for it. If it weren't for him, the demon probably never would've been sealed away and Konoha would be but rubble beneath the Bijuu's paws. Rejected and scorned, he did whatever he could for _any_ type of attention; pranks being his main method.

She leaned down and kissed Naruto. Unlike their first kiss, this one was more passionate and gentle. His lips weren't dry, but rather moist and soft.

Naruto's mind was a little foggy, but he could still make sense of everything. When he heard Temari tell him she would never betray his trust, he knew she meant it. He knew that if he felt uncomfortable all he would have to do is say so and she'd stop. Only, he didn't want to stop. The feeling of someone actually caring for him; he didn't want it to go away. It made him feel like he had a purpose again. His hands traveled up Temari's thighs and to her back.

Temari moaned from the pleasure that the simple gesture had cause her. While she was unsure of what he was actually doing, she trusted him enough to know he wouldn't go too far. She felt his hands gently caressing the small of her back and she liked the feeling of how gentle he was by nature. It was most likely because if he was rough with anyone, it only would've made his life worse as the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. But with all honesty, she didn't care about why; only that he was.

Naruto slowly guided his hands up to her hair; which was up in its usual four pigtail fashion. He carefully untied one of the ribbons she used to keep her hair up in the unusual fashion. He got a look from Temari that showed she was a little confused as to why he was doing so.

"I think it looks better down" he said softly as he reached back up and kissed her again.

Temari couldn't help but to blush as her hair fell down over both of their faces as they continued to kiss. She felt a gentle tug as his hands untied another ribbon and more hair fell down. To say she liked what he was doing would be like saying she hated those books Kankuro read. Not only did her hair act as a curtain to hide what they were doing from anyone that would happen to walk in, but she liked how her hair looked against his.

-Author's Note-

I was planning on making this chapter longer, but I figured that this would be a good spot to end it at. My plan B was to have Kankuro walk in on them and ruin it, but I decided against it.


End file.
